Unusual Friendship
by FluffyLoveKitty
Summary: Ki's the new girl in class. At first, she thinks that Zim's just mean...but when they're assigned as partners for a skool project, they start to develop respect for each other...and maybe something more..? Meh...I dunno...;;; [COMPLETE]
1. It begins

Author's Note: This is my first IZ fic! So please don't be too mean when you review! ;; I don't own any of the IZ chars...dey belong to the great JCV. But Ki is mine! Mine-scampers away-

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I sighed and looked down and the paper I held. Room 102. _Great._ I thought. _Another school...I give this place 2 months. _What was the point of ever trying? My father would just get transferred again soon. He always did. We'd move someplace new, only to leave a few months later.

My name is Ki. I'd like to say that my life hasn't always been this complicated, but it has. My mom left when I was 10. "I just can't deal with it anymore" she had told me. That was 6 years ago, and the divorce had left my dad a wreck. Depressed and alone, he enclosed himself in his work, which, of course, didn't leave much time for me. Not that I cared or anything...I felt alone even when my mom was with us.

I glanced up at the room number to make sure that I had the correct room. I did. I reached down and put my hand on the door handle, but before I could turn it, the door opened from the inside. I slowly looked up and saw my teacher, and glanced at my sheet again. Ms. Bitters, it said.

"You must be Ki." She glared at me.

"Yeah" I mumbled.

"Go take your seat, Ki, with all of the other doomed children." She pointed to an empty seat next to an odd looking guy with green skin. I shuffled over to the seat and sat down. I sighed as I pulled out my familiar purple notebook. I flipped through the pages until I found a blank one. Drawing was an easy way to shut out the world if I didn't want it to irritate me. I connected to the page with my pencil and drew the outline of a human girl on her knees, crying. Unexpectedly, I heard a snicker beside me. I glanced over to the green kid only to find him looking at my picture.

"Stinkbeasts..all of you will be doing plenty of that once I'm through with you.." He sneered.

"Dumbass kid..." I muttered and closed my notebook. _Stupid asshole...he must be one of those kids who forces everyone to obey him "or else"...nothing but a school bully..._

Ms. Bitters began a sleep-inducing tirade about the government's plan to doom us all. The other students, in a display of their undivided attention, began to chatter. The growing noise around me made my head start to ache.

"Hey..." The girl behind me poked another girl next to her. "Have you ever thought about why Ms. Bitters has never gotten older..."

"Is that even possible..." The other girl laid her head down on her desk. "Nik's dad is on the board, and they decided that keeping us with the same teacher reduces the cost of shoving knowledge down our throats."

"As if it would matter..." The girl behind me sighed. "Kari's in Mr. Acer's class...and she says that he rants about the same stupid stuff as Ms. Bitters does."

I looked up as the bell rang for lunch. I stood and waited for everyone to leave before me. I didn't want nor need anyone talking to me. There was no point in making friends if I was going to leave soon anyway. I ambled my way to the cafeteria with the other students, making sure to keep far behind from the herd of mindless bodies.

As I entered the cafeteria, I noticed how this school was exactly like every other school I had ever been to. Everyone sat according to status. The preps, the regulars, the geniuses, the freaks...each group sat in a different section of the room. I saw an empty table in the corner and sat down. I grabbed my notebook and opened it to the page of the girl. What did the green kid mean when he said that we would be doing plenty of that? Crying? Kneeling? He must've meant crying. I would never cry to the likes of him...crying was for the weak.

I had no sooner picked up my pencil when I noticed to students walking towards me. The taller was a guy, one that I had seen in my class earlier. He had black hair that looked as if it had a full can of hairspray on it. He wore black glasses and had on a long black trench coat. The other was a girl with violet hair and eyes that had so much mascara it must've felt as if each eyelid weighed a pound. She was definitely goth.

"Do you care if we sit here" The girl asked me. I shook my head. "I'm Gaz." She said. "And that's my brother Dib. He's pretty weird, so don't pay any attention to him."

"I'm Ki." I noticed she was clutching a Game Slave 2, the newest version of the hand-held game unit. "You like Game Slave" I asked.

"More than my life." I smiled. Gaz played the latest Vampire Piggy Slayers game while I worked on my drawing. So much for not making friends while I was here.

"Just look at him...sitting there as if he's the most innocent thing on the planet..." Dib glared at the green kid. Gaz looked up, annoyed that he'd interrupted her game-playing.

"You remember that whole thing about annoying me, Dib? Just shut up about stupid Zim for awhile and I'll try not to mortally wound you." Gaz growled.

"Who's Zim..." I asked.

"Zim's another kid in Dib's class. He's sitting right over there." She pointed to the green kid.

"Oh…so that's who the green guy is..." I studied Zim for a second. He was bent over some blueprints and muttering to himself. I shrugged.

"Dib thinks Zim is an alien. I personally think Dib's the alien." Gaz smirked.

"Don't mock me, Gaz...Zim is an alien. If only I could get scientific proof so you'd believe me. I've gotten it before...but every time I do, there he is, stealing it back. No matter what I do, he's always one step ahead..." He glanced at Zim one last time then turned back to us.

"Ahh...so he's really stubborn, huh" I smiled as I closed my notebook. I did believe in aliens, but not that they were living on Earth in disguise. I always figured that if they were going to invade Earth or try to contact us, they'd be a little more conspicuous than enrolling in the local school.

Dib raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't believe me, do you" I shook my head.

"Sorry...but why would one little alien try and conquer a whole planet by itself" I asked him.

"Don't you see? That's the whole point! They know we wouldn't expect one alien to come alone. And by spreading their army across the universe, they could control thousands of civilizations in a matter of weeks" Dib explained.

"Well...even if that were true, which I highly doubt it is, that still doesn't prove that Zim is an alien." I shrugged. I love arguing with people. Along with drawing, it was one of my few joys in life.

"But" Dib was interrupted by the bell that ended lunch. After mumbling something that sounded like a good-bye, Gaz got up and walked to her own class. Dib jumped up and ran to catch up with Zim to keep an eye on him. Which left me alone, as I usually was. I didn't mind though. I stood up and went back to the classroom. As I sat down in my seat, the tardy bell rang. At that moment, Ms. Bitters floated over to the door and locked it. Anyone who was late didn't get in the room.

"Ok, class...the school board has required that I assign a long-term project." Ms. Bitters glared at us. "This is a waste of your time, but more importantly, a waste of my time. The topic can be whatever you want it to be. You'll be working with the person across from you in the opposite row." By an unseen force, the desks suddenly slid together, matching us in pairs with our partners.

"Fabulous..." I muttered to myself. I glanced over at Zim, only to find him staring at me. Not just any stare...more like a stare of pure hatred. I glared back at him, my eyes glittering. If there was one thing I loved about myself, it was that my eyes showed my expression, even if my other features didn't.

I knew this project was not going to be fun...


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay of this chapter! Glerf...Ki is mine, but all of the IZ chars belong to JCV.

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"Zim, was it? Ok, Zim...you listen and you listen well…I just want to get this project done. Dib already told me about you 'being an alien,' but I couldn't give a crap if you are or not. I don't care. I just want to get this thing done as quickly as possible. Treat me with respect, and I'll do the same to you. Understand" His eyes widened and he nodded. "Okay. I'm glad we've reached an understanding." I smiled. Even if Zim was just a skool bully, I could have easily beaten the crap out of him.

"How do we do this...project" He asked.

"We just gather info, write a conclusion, and just put it all together. Oh...we need a topic first. Got any ideas"

"The future doom of this spinning ball of dirt that you call a planet..."

"...okay...I guess I can think of worse topics..." I raised my eyebrow. I guess I could write about ways Earth could be destroyed. It's sort of pathetic on my part, but I actually had a few ideas in mind. I just figured Zim was into military stuff. I'd been to many skools in my life, and in every class there's one student who knows about every weapon that exists to the public's knowledge.

"You mean that topic's ok..."

"Yeah." I shrugged.

"Excellent..."

I had a feeling he would have some interesting ways of the demolition of Earth. It was kind of funny, in an extremely odd and twisted way. Odd and twisted: the story of my life. I seriously didn't mind, though. I just wanted to get the project done as soon as possible. The less time I had to "socialize" the better off I, as well as the other people, would be.

"Hello..." Zim jabbed my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oww" I grabbed my shoulder. "What the hell was that for"

"...I've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes, human."

"Sorry. And the name is Ki." I rubbed my shoulder. I could already feel a bruise starting to form.

"Where shall we do this...project"

"I don't care...the library won't have much information unless we're looking for specific

weapons…but I don't care if we work on it at my house or yours. My dad is usually either at work or working at home, so we wouldn't be interrupted at my house. What about yours" He flinched.

"My parents are never at my house. We shall work there, for I refuse to go to a place that I have not observed first."

"Fine. Do you want to start today" I asked. If I really rushed the project, maybe we could be done in a few days. If Ms. Bitters was the kind of teacher she looked like, she wouldn't even grade them anyway. She'd probably just give everyone F's then thrown the papers in the incinerator.

"Whatever. Just follow me home after skool." At that moment, the final bell rang. I stared at the desperate students who jumped out the windows in the rush for their daily freedom. I shoved my stuff into my backpack and walked out of the classroom.

"Ki! Hey, Ki! Wait up" Dib ran up and stopped beside me. "I saw you talking to Zim! Are you partners with him? Where are you working on your project? Can you take some pictures of him please"

I blinked and tried to understand the blur of words that was just hurled at me. "Uhh...yes...at his house...and no, because why would I want pictures of him"

He grabbed a camera out of his backpack and thrust it in my face. "Here! Take this one! Don't worry about getting the film developed...just take a few pics of his base and of that little android that's always there."

"Android.." I snickered. "Ok, whatever...I have to go...Zim said I had to follow him home and if I lose him, then I'm lost." I turned and started walking away.

"Don't forget the pictures" He yelled. I guess he didn't realize that I didn't ever take the camera in the first place. I would've liked to see the look on his face, when he looked down and noticed he was still clutching the camera.

As I walked out of the skool, I saw Zim already on his route home. I ran until I was about 25 feet behind him. I might've been assigned a project with him, but that didn't mean that I had to be or look like his friend. After walking for about 15 minutes, we arrived in a cul-de-sac of old buildings. Well, they all were old, save for one house. That one looked relatively new…and horribly deformed as well as oddly colored. Strange lawn ornaments decorated the lawn. I reached the yard, and by that time Zim was already at the door.

"Stop, human." He glared at me. "I suggest that if you do not wish to be fried into a horrible blob of crispy human filth then you should wait for me to turn the defenses off."

I raised an eyebrow and took one step onto the yard anyway. Suddenly, a red laser beam shot out of the eyes of one of the lawn gnomes. I jumped back before the beam could hit me. "What the hell was that"

"Stupid human...I warned you." He sadistically grinned and opened the door. After pressing a few buttons, he reappeared. "Ok, human, you may enter."

I stepped on the lawn again, prepared to jump back if any lasers shot out of the gnomes' eyes. When no beams were fired, I walked up to the door and glared at Zim. "Ki. My name is Ki. And why do you have killer lawn ornaments"

"Like I said before, human, they're defenses."

I flashed my eyes at him and dropped my backpack on the floor. "Ok, are you just physically unable to say my name or are you just stupid"

"You must earn my respect for me to say your name." He growled.

"Oh, so I guess you'll have to do the same thing for me, human." I answered sweetly. At this, he hissed and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"You will never call me by that again. I will kill you without an afterthought the next time you do." He threw me back on the couch and stormed out of the room.

I sat up, shocked, and rubbed the place where he grabbed me. I felt something grab my legs and squeeze. I looked down and saw an odd-looking green dog cuddling my leg. It looked more like a stuffed plushie than a dog. It hopped up on the couch and sat there, staring at me. I blinked and it tilted its head, then proceeded to jump onto my lap and hug me.

"Gir! Get off of that human" Zim shouted from the doorway. Gir immediately complied, gave me a sorrowful look, then ran out of the room.

"What was that..." I asked.

"My dog, Gir." He answered blatantly. "Now, shall we start on this project"

"That wasn't a dog..."

"Yes it was."

"No...it wasn't. That was a costume."

"No it wasn't."

I sighed. This was an argument that wasn't going to get anywhere. "Ok...I think we started out on the wrong foot..."

"...What..." He gave me an odd look.

"Uhh...it's an expression...it means that we started out wrong…on the wrong impression, I guess..."

"Oh."

"So...I guess we should start over." I cleared my throat. "My name's Ki." I held out my hand.

Zim just stood there and stared at my hand. I sighed and grabbed it then pumped it up and down.

"It's called a handshake...God...are you from a different dimension or something"

"You could say that, yes." He shuddered and pulled his hand away.

"I don't have cooties, you know. Despite that rumor guys love to believe, girls don't have them." I retorted.

"What are cooties"

"Never mind..." I sighed. "Let's just get the project started." I grabbed my backpack and unzipped it. Dib's camera rolled out and fell onto the floor. _Dib must've shoved it in there before I left school today..._

"What is that" Zim yelled as he snatched the camera off the floor. "You're with him aren't you! Aren't you"

"With who? Dib"

"Yes..." He hissed. "I knew you were with him...now you'll pay..." Suddenly, robotic arms shot out of the ceiling and grabbed me. I started to scream, but before the cry could leave my throat, a robotic arm smashed against my head and the world around me faded to black.


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Alla IZ chars belong to JCV!! Ki's mine though...I'll be drawing some pictures of her later on, and they'll be posted at my Side7 Gallery, which is here: 

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I groaned and lifted my hands to hold my head. When they failed to rise, I opened my eyes to discover that I had been restrained to a metal table. I screamed and struggled to free myself from the clasps around my limbs and chest.

"There is no need for that..." Zim grinned as he walked towards me on some strange metal legs that came out of his backpack. "No one can hear you. You are in my lab, and will remain here until I operate." When he was close enough, I noticed that a pair of antennae replaced his black hair, and his eyes were red and cruel-looking.

"You...you _are_ an alien...Dib was right…" I stammered.

"Yes," he smirked. "How very observant of you. I am Irken...and I'm here to conquer this hideous planet."

"Conquer..? A whole planet? Alone?" I stared.

"Yes, foolish human. Irkens are powerful enough to take over and destroy a planet alone." He laughed. I bet your whole population couldn't enslave a planet even if they all worked together."

"If you're so powerful, why haven't you succeeded already...?"

"Silence, human!!!" He growled. "I will start the operation now..."

"Operation?? What operation?!! What are you going to do to me??" My heart lurched. There was only one thing I feared in the universe: death. It wasn't the actual dying part...I've dealt with pain before, and I figured that if that if the pain ever got too unbearable, then my body would either just quit or someone would put me out of my misery. No, it was the other part of death that scared me...the afterlife part. My parents, when they were still together, that is, never bothered to teach me a religion early on in life. They told me that if I wanted one, then I could choose one for myself when I was older. As a result, I had absolutely no faith in anything spiritual. But I wanted to believe there was an afterlife, and that my soul would life forever, even if my brain told me that none existed.

"I'm going to operate on your brain. I will make you forget all about me. In all honestly, this is an experiment, so you might die in the process. But it's all in the sake of science..." He laughed evilly and lifted up two odd-looking knives.

"Please don't kill me..." I begged. "I'm not working with Dib...I barely even know him...I swear I won't tell anyone about you...I swear I won't...you can kill me if I do...just please don't kill me now..." My eyes filled with tears at the thought of dying, but no tears ran down my cheeks. I felt literally sick at how weak I was. I hated to be weak, but my intense fear outweighed my desire to put on my façade.

Zim stared deeply into my eyes for a few minutes. "I will let you go, human...but if I hear one whisper that you've been spreading rumors, I will kill you in the most painful way I can think of. Understood?"

I nodded and the clasps that restrained me disappeared.

"I don't know what it is that's making me let you go...but be glad it is there. I would not let any ordinary human free if they knew about me." With that, he turned and walked away. Gir, without his dog disguise, walked over to the table. He lifted his hand and held it out. When I didn't take it in my own, he grabbed mine and guided me off the table. He led me inside an elevator and pushed a few buttons.

"What's your name??" He asked as he grabbed my legs.

"Ki..." I muttered.

"Oooooh...Ki...I like that!!!!" He squealed and jumped on my shoulder. I flinched and wobbled at the new weight that was forced upon me. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened and Gir jumped off. "C'mon Ki!!!! We're gonna go watch the Scary Monkey Show!!!!" He grabbed my hand once again and dragged me into the main room. He jumped up onto the couch and turned on the TV. I reluctantly sat down beside him and stared up at the giant screen before me. A huge hideous monkey resided there. When it growled, Gir growled back at it. Extremely disturbed, I shifted and sat down to the floor to gather my books. When I stood up, I yelped. In front of me was an intensely spooky picture of a creature of some sort. It sort of reminded me of the creatures in the 'Gremlin' movies. I glanced at Gir, who was entranced by the monkey on the TV. I turned around and started walking out the door when he jumped out of the seat and grabbed onto my legs. "Don't go, Ki!!! I thought we was gonna watch the monkey..." he sniffled.

"Uhh...I'm sorry, Gir...but I'd better get going..." I glanced at my watch and was shocked to find it almost midnight. "It's getting pretty late and I have to get home."

"But it's not safe!!! Bad things'll happen to you!!!!" He jumped on my shoulders and hugged my head. "I dun want bad things to happen to you!!!" Shocking as it may seem, Gir was right. I was torn. Either risk walking home through the slums of the city, or stay where I was. "I can get Master to let you stay here!!!" He chirped.

"Gir...I don't think Zim wants me to stay here. I think I'd be better off going home."

"Nahh....I can get him to agree!!!" He giggled and jumped off my head, then ran away. I just stood there. I had just had a somewhat intelligent conversation with a robot. Not just a robot, but one that seemed as if it had feelings. _The Irkens must have extreme technology to design a robot with such capabilities..._I thought. Little did I know Gir's true origin...

"Master says you can stay!!" He screamed with happiness and jumped on me again. "But you gotta stay up here, or else he'll be mad, okies?!!" I nodded. "You promise????"

"I promise."

"Yaaay!!! You gonna go to bed now?? You can sleep on da couch!!" He jumped off me and landed on the couch. I dropped my backpack and made my way to the couch. When I laid down, Gir hopped onto my stomach and curled into a ball. "Master doesn't let me sleep on him…" He said sadly.

"Aww....well, you can sleep on me if you want to. My cat did all the time..."

He stuck his tongue out in a happy reply and closed his eyes. I heard a small beep as he shut himself off. I stared at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts, until my eyes closed and I fell into a deep, dream-filled sleep.


	4. Chapter Four

Author's Note: Meep!!! Skool starts tomorrow!!! Summer went by too damn fast…sigh Merf…Ki is mine…Alla IZ chars aren't…blah…blah…blah…dies XX (Oh…Chapter 5 should be up by the end of the week…it's halfway done.)

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A dagger. Beautiful in its own way, yet so deadly. I welded my eyes shut as it was pressed into the side of my neck. Not enough to draw blood…but enough to let the fear drip from both my eyes and my heart. Enough to make me cry out to the assailant to just get it over with. Enough to drive me almost to the point of madness. My breath quickened as the knife was pressured against my skin. I felt a trickle of blood run down my neck, and the wet roughness of tongue as my aggressor tasted my blood. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Human blood is not sweet, as most people think it is.." he said with a smile in his voice. "No…it has a certain metallic taste to it…like copper…" I felt myself slipping from consciousness…not from the loss of blood, but I had no wish to have any memory of what was going to happen next. When I died, I wanted to be surrounded by my dreams and good memories...not by this. Not this moment.

My ears strained to listen as someone called out my name. They seemed so near, yet so very far away in time. They cried out again, and things began to darken. I felt myself falling…

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"Ki!!!"

I jumped up and screamed. Gir jumped back from where he was standing and screamed too, then ran away. Wait…I was still here? Alive? I put my hand to my heart and breathed. My pulse was racing. It was all just a dream. A nightmare. Just a figment of my deranged mind.

I glanced around the room. I was still at Zim's house. _Well, duh…you fell asleep there, remember? It was too late to go home alone._ I stood up and looked for a sign of either Gir or Zim. Preferably Gir…Zim didn't seem to like me much. I guess he had reason to…he was out to kill us. _But he didn't kill you…_

I shook off the voice in the back of my head and glanced at my watch. 8:00 AM. Skool started at 8:20. Great…I had 20 minutes to run there. I never ate breakfast…so that was no problem. I stole a look in the kitchen to make sure they weren't there, then I took out some paper and a pen out of my backpack and scribbled out a note of thanks to Zim.

I opened the door and ran out. The gnomes didn't advance on me this time. I ran down the street and didn't look back.

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I slowly trudged up the stairs to our apartment. After I swiped my keycard through the lock, it clicked and the door opened. I sighed and started off for my room.

"Where were you?" A voice from the couch said. My father.

"..I was…at a friend's house…"

"You liar…where were you?!" He stood up.

"I told you…I was at a friend's house…" I started backing away.

"Stop lying to me, you little wench!! How dare you not come home!!! You're just like your mother…" He walked over to me and grabbed my arm. "Do you want to be like your mother, Ki?"

"Yes…at least she got to leave…"

"…What did you say…?" He slapped me across the face and threw me to the ground.

"You heard me…" I glared up at him. My cheek stung from the strike, and I could feel a bruise already beginning to form.

"Out…I want you out…" He turned around and walked to his lab, slamming the door.

I don't know how long I laid there on the floor. He wanted me out..? I wanted to cry and rejoice at the same time. My father had abandoned me… _You never have to deal with him any more…he was no more a father to you than some random person on the street. _I had no place to go… _That is no problem…every city has shelters. Women's homes. A friend's house. _Friend..? I slowly stood up went into my room. I picked up a duffel bag and stuffed in some clothes, my journal, my laptop, and then a picture. Before I put the picture in, my hands traced over the worn wood on the frame. I closed my eyes and remembered the moment.

I was about 5, and my mom decided to take me shopping and out to lunch. We had such a great time…I knew I had to behave well if she was ever going to take me again. There was a picture booth in the middle of the mall. The ones that take one picture and can frame it in the border you choose. There were selections like 'Devils,' 'Best Friends,' and 'Sisters.' We chose the border that said 'Angels' and had a little halo around the text.

How long ago that was. I wish I knew where my mother was now. I sighed. Maybe she didn't want me anyway. She sure as hell didn't when she left me. She was probably remarried with a new family. Maybe she had thrown the sister of my photo away and forgot about me. Well…maybe I was not forgotten, but instead pushed back into the shadows of her mind. A mere bad memory to her now-happy life. I wished I could find out, but I knew in my heart that I would never know.

I turned and gazed around my room one last time. Nearly everything I had gathered in my life was about to be lost. As I started to turn, one thing I had forgotten jumped out at me. I ran to my bed and picked up my old, worn bear that I got the day I was born. I yelled at myself mentally for almost leaving it. I picked up my backpack and my duffel bag and headed towards the window. As I stared through the glass, I wondered what my future was about to be like. Where was I going to go?

_You'll cross that bridge later. But for now…you just need to take that first step. _I took a deep breath and opened the window. The fire escape stairs were right below me. I climbed out and dropped onto them, then quickly ran down the rest of the way.

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"Ehh..?" I stirred as someone prodded me. My eyes widened as I saw who stared back at me.

"Ki!!"

"Hi Dib.."

"I didn't expect to see you here, but there you were…why were you asleep on a park bench..? And why haven't you been at school this past week?? And.." his face wrinkled. "..what's that smell..?"

"It's better if I don't explain.." I told him. He raised an eyebrow and mentally figured out my situation.

"You're homeless, aren't you?" He asked quietly. I remained silent and looked away. "You should come with me. There's a shelter nearby, and I'm sure they could take you--"

"No.."

"No?? What do you mean, 'no'?"

"No…I don't want to be treated like that…" I stared at the ground.

"Treated like what..?"

"Treated like I'm some teenager that dropped out of skool, thinking I could make it on my own and then failing miserably…like I'm some 'good girl turned whore' and isn't making enough money from guys. I don't want to be treated like a child…" I sighed.

"Ki…"

"I'm serious…I'd rather stay out here than go to a shelter."

"How have you been eating…?"

"You'd be surprised at how much extra food restaurants make…mainly the pizza places…sometimes, if you know people who work there or they're really nice, they'll give you the extra pizzas.."

"Sleeping..?"

"Park benches, under trees…anywhere…"

"Bathroom?"

"Fast food places…I haven't found a place to shower yet…but I figure the people in the fast food restaurants have a worse stench than I do…so people don't really notice it…"

"Oh…" He shook his head. "C'mon…I'm taking you to the shelter."

"Didn't I just go over the fact that I don't want to go?!!"

"I don't care if you don't want to go…this is what's right." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I twisted out of his grasp and grabbed my backpack and duffel. "Ki…I'm only trying to do what's best for you…"

"If you want to do what's best for me, then you'll leave me alone." I snapped at him. I whirled around and started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Ki!!" He called after me. I ignored him. "You're gonna regret this later!! You could've been cared for!! You could have a chance of living without having to worry about where your next meal will come from!! Ki!!!"

I broke into a run and didn't look back.

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I breathed heavily and sat down on one of the swings in the playground. I had run across to the other side of the park, which was quite far, especially if you were carrying two bags. I dropped my bags on the ground and looked around. I saw a drinking fountain near the other section of the playground. That would serve me well as a temporary "shower."

Leaving my stuff where I had dropped it, I walked over to the fountain and

examined it. There was a faucet underneath- even better that I thought. I took off my tennis shoes and socks and turned on the faucet. I bent underneath it and soaked my hair and face. At least some of the dirt was getting washed out. I grabbed my brush and started working through the tangles as I rinsed my hair. My hair reached down to the small of my back, so brushing all of the knots out took awhile.

When my hair was as clean as it was going to get, I rinsed all of the clothes I had brought with me. Out of curiosity, I picked up a t-shirt and inhaled. I coughed and threw it to the ground. _Gross…no wonder Dib thought you smelled horrible. _I quickly rinsed that shirt along with the others and wrung them out. _They'll air dry quickly…there's a nice breeze blowing. _I laid them on the ground and sat back down on the swing.

I closed my eyes and rocked back and forth. It was a great time to relax. I daydreamed about my more happier memories until someone called my name. _Great…is there not a point in time when someone isn't screaming my name??_

"KI!!!"

But this voice was different…it definitely wasn't Dib's…but I knew I had heard it before…


	5. Chapter Five

Author's Note: I am extremely sorry for the delay of this chapter. Please don't hurt me...I've gotten carried away with school and have had a big family crisis...but hopefully I will get more done on this fic soon. I promise you all that I will never quit this fic until it is 100 done. The chapters may take awhile to get written, but they will be...so please be very patient with me. I apologize again...

...And none of the characters except Ki belong to me...they belong to JCV.

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"Ki!!!!"

I slowly looked up to see who was calling me. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't just imagining things. I wasn't.

"I missed you, Ki lady!!!!!!" Gir squealed happily and tried to tackle me. I caught him in my arms and looked down at the green ball of hyperness that was hugging me.

"Gir?? What are you doing here?? Where's Zim??"

"Ooooh...Master's back there." He pointed down the path.

"You left him??"

"Yes'm!!" He grinned.

"Why'd you leave him??" I asked. Zim was really going to be pissed off when he found Gir.

"'Cuz I saw you and wanted to say HI!!!!" He exclaimed happily. "HI!!!!" He waved. Zim appeared on the path, looking very irate.

"GIR!!!!" He yelled. "When I take you for walks to look normal, you're not supposed to run away!!! I thought I discussed this with you!!"

"Oh yeah..."

"You remember our conversation?!!"

"Lookit who I found!!!" He grinned and tugged at my hand. _I guess he doesn't remember their conversation then..._

"Ki..?" He stared at me. "Why have you not been at the learning facility lately..? And why are you all wet...? Is it going to rain?? Tell me before I doom you..."

"Uhh...no...it's not going to rain...I just rinsed my hair..." I explained.

"Rinsed your hair?? Here?? Is this normal?!!" His eyes went wide.

"Not exactly..." I raised my eyebrow. "Is it normal for you to go outside wearing a little flowered hat and a white beard...?" He looked down at himself.

"Don't I look like a normal human?"

"...I'd lose the hat...and the beard doesn't really look 'normal,' if that's what you were going for...it looks like one of those beards the deranged Santas wear at the mall..."

"You mean I do not look normal?? Why must this be??!"

"Maybe you were misinformed." I shrugged.

"You have valuable information, stinkbeast..."

"...Didn't I tell you before that my name is, and always will be, Ki?" My eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes...Ki..." He paused in thought. I slowly backed away.

"Well...as interesting as this conversation has been, I must be going.."

"Where are you going?" He asked suspiciously.

"Insane."

"Really?!?"

"No."

"Oh. Ok."

"Well...see you later I guess." I turned around to grab my clothes off the ground. _You know...you couldn't care less about what happens to the rest of mankind...why not help Zim in taking it over...?_ Because it's wrong, I told myself. _But he's somewhat nice, despite the constant talk of dooming everyone. He could be the one close friend you've always been searching for... _Friend...? Zim?? I laughed mentally. No way. Though....it would be kind of fun...working with Zim...I shook my head. What was I thinking?!! _It's worth a try...you're homeless...you wouldn't be at a shelter...you'd have a friend..._But Zim almost killed me. _He let you go, though. _True...I sighed. It was worth a try, I guess. I looked up. Zim was still standing there, oddly enough. "Zim, I have a question..."

"Meh?"

"I need you to listen without interrupting to yell, insult, or release any sort of violence until I'm done...ok...?"

"...O...kay..." He raised a non-existent eyebrow.

I took a deep breath and poured out my story and idea. I would stay at his base and give my suggestions and whatever information I knew that would help him, and in return he would give me a place to stay. When I finished explaining, I cringed and expected him to explode in anger and go into a hour-long rant about why he didn't need any help from some stupid, low-intelligence human and how he should vaporize me on the spot. I was right.

"WHAT??!! Zim needs no help from a human stinkbeast!!!! You pathetic worm monkey!!! How dare you ever CONSIDER the fact that Zim needs help!!! From a lowly EARTHLING, no less?!!! I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!!" He grabbed at his pocket and growled when he felt nothing. "It seems Gir has been playing with my laser guns again...I will have to destroy you the next time we meet." With that, he turned and marched away, both dragging Gir and switching moods as fast as he possibly could.

"Bai Ki-lady!!!" the little robot screeched. "I'll miss yoooooou!!!"

I slowly waved back. _You'll be the only one..._ I sat down where I was. I was confused. The reality of what just happened set in. I had been rejected. I was not good enough for friendship of my own species. When I sought it out from a different one, I was rejected again. _But Gir....he likes you... _He only seemed to like me. Deep inside, he's just circuits and wires like any other computer. He can't think, only makes choices for what he's been programmed to do. I started shaking. I was alone. Completely alone. No one cared at all...therefore, no one wanted me here. Tears of hatred and sadness started streaming down my cheeks. What did I do wrong in life...? I didn't know what I did to deserve such pain. I know I wasn't all that friendly at first...but I only acted out of retaliation of how people treated me. I slowly pulled my pocketknife out of my pocket. I opened the switch and stared at my reflection on the blade. I drew it up to my cheek and let my skin rest on the cold metal. My thoughts drifted to my fear of the afterlife. Did it exist...? Would it really be better than this horrible world I was living in? It had to be...it couldn't be any worse. I withdrew the knife from my cheek and held it against my neck. I rotated it until the blade was barely touching my skin. I wondered how quickly I would die. Would the person who found me even call the authorities? Or would they run in fear, thinking I'd been murdered? Tears of fear and anger replaced those of sadness. I was going to do it. I thought of all the times I'd been rejected by other people. At school, in public, by so-called "friends"...I hated them. I hated them all. I wanted them to suffer. Suffer for reducing me to this. Suddenly and without a second thought, I withdrew the knife and closed it. I would make them suffer. I didn't care how or even when. But I would inflict pain on them exactly like they inflicted it on me. Like I almost inflicted it upon myself. My eyes glittered with anger. Never had I felt so alive. Yes...I was alive. And I was going to stay that way at any cost.


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: screams and avoids all the tomatoes and vegetables being hurled at her I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry!!! I didn't mean to take a year-long break, honest...meep!! I put this on the back burner, figuratively speaking...merf. But my renewed interest in IZ has made me come crawling back with my tail between my legs. I hope you'll forgive me. Anywho...I read Invader Ari's "A Tale of Ari"...and stayed up until like 5 AM last night in doing so. Dude. I wish I could write as well as that...cries And then I reread all of my comments, and guess who read my story like a year ago and was the last person to comment!! I love the small world we live in. So yeah...thank Ari...I am! Lol.

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I felt changed. Changed into a completely different person. I slowly drew out my knife again and stared at my reflection in the blade. My long light brown hair didn't feel like me. Taking what little money I had, I bought blond and blue hair dye. Staring in the window of the store, I drew out my knife and cut my hair off until it just reached my shoulders. Returning to the park, I dyed my hair blond and highlighted it with blue and used the fountain to rinse it. I gazed into the water and smiled as my hair dried. Everything looked perfect except the smile. It was unnatural.

I sat down on a bench and thought out my plans. I needed to return to skool. Not only to show that I wasn't beaten, but to actually pay attention. I had caught bits and pieces of Ms. Bitters' rantings about how the world was going to be destroyed. Maybe I could even get some ideas from that deranged woman's head. But that didn't solve the problem of where I was to live. I couldn't stay in the park forever...I needed a real place. It didn't even have to be nice...just as long as it had running water and a solid roof. I sighed. This was not going to work...no one would lease a room or apartment to a 16 year old girl with no money or no job. Money...that's what I needed. _Where could I get money_... I thought. The brief thought of robbery crossed my mind, but the reasonable part of my brain pushed it away in a nanosecond. There was no way I could commit a robbery. I'd get caught too easily. But the bank...I did have an account there. I knew some money was in it. All I had to do was just walk in and get it. _Ki_..._sometimes you're so stupid you make me laugh._ Yes, brain...I know. I make me laugh too.

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"I'm sorry, miss...but you need your account password in order to withdraw money."

"But I don't have my account password and there's no way I can get it...can't I just show you ID or something?"

"No password, no money." The teller slammed the door shut.

"Bitch..." I muttered and turned away. I had to go back to the apartment to get the password...there was no other way. My father was at work...so this was a perfect time to get it. I grabbed my backpack and duffel out from behind the bush where I dropped them and headed to the place that I temporarily called "home".

Finally reaching the building, I drew out my card to get in. Beeping, it rejected me. _Great_..._he changed the lock number to our room_..._now I can't even get in to the damn building. _Or...maybe I could. I ran around back, dropped my stuff, and raced up the fire exit stairs that I had just run down the week before. I jumped up to the level that my father's apartment was on and tried to open the window to my room. It easily slid open, revealing my old room exactly as I had left it. Either my father didn't care if someone stole all of my old things, or he was just too drunk to notice. Oh well...I didn't have to deal with that any more. I climbed in through the open window and slowly cracked open the door. It was a damn good thing I did instead of bursting in, because my father was passed out on the sofa. _Figures_...I thought. Knowing exactly where to get my bank information, I made my way into the kitchen to get it out of the desk.

Smiling, I drew out a folder containing all of my bank records. As I thumbed through the documents, I noticed the total amount of money my account contained. I froze and stared at the figure. I blinked and checked again. Feeling faint, I walked over to the sink and splashed my face. There was just no explanation. I read the figure aloud to make sure my brain was processing the figure. "Two hundred...thousand...dollars..." I choked. Puzzled, I wondered how the money got there. There was no way interest could have built up that much. I tried to shrug it off, which came with more difficulty than I thought it would, and started to run back to the room. But I noticed some spare card keys that my father got for the new lock laying on the counter. I paused, grabbed one, and ran back to the bank.

----------

For the first time in a week, I was comfortable. I had decided to go with a cheap motel. I didn't need high or even middle class comforting...hell, after living on a park bench, under shrubs, and on a concrete bed, a cheap motel bed is pretty damn nice. The only factor I didn't like was the fact that I had to roll out of bed every morning. If skool started at noon, I'd be happier.

But I was happier than I was. So much had occurred in the past week. I went through so many emotions...happiness, sadness, depression, contentment...and even the slightest bit of love. _Love_..._the one feeling you crave_..._yet the one emotion you refuse to accept._ I shook my mind's thoughts. I wouldn't refuse to accept it. Yes, I crave it...but I can't find it. _But you have_..._you just need to accept it._ Confused, I ran my fingers through my hair and stood up. I didn't understand what the voice said. I hadn't found love...and I never would.

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I stood outside the classroom door. I wouldn't be afraid to face them...the two beings that changed my life. But I had nothing to fear...all of them had caused me so much pain...I had to remember why I was there. Without a second thought, I flung open the door and stepped into the room.

Two pairs of eyes were focused on me. I sat down between them and ignored both of them.

"Ki...you're here...why...how?" Dib asked in disbelief. I bet he thought I'd be dead by that point.

"Don't talk to me," I hissed. "I don't want to have anything to do with you or anyone else. Make contact with me again, and you will pay." My eyes glittered at him and his eyes quickly looked away. I stared ahead again, waiting for Ms. Bitters to begin her rambling on how the Earth will be destroyed. Zim had the same look of wonderment that Dib had. His eyes searched me for the answer to why I had changed, but I gave no answers. Instead, I began to jot down notes.

----------

So many thoughts flew through Zim's mind as the day wore on. She changed so drastically...was this because of him? Confusion dominated his thoughts. He barely knew her...and she was a human. Could he be feeling...bad? Bad for her? Bad for all of her pain, anger, and hatred? He growled to himself. She was a human. A stupid, stinking, good-for-nothing lowlife creature that was part of the planet he was trying to dominate. _But she's not bad for a human_..._she has spirit. She did nothing but try to help and befriend you, and go against her own race. Is that not enough for you?_ No, he thought angrily. I am Zim. I deserve the best. The best technology, the best equipment...everything! _Is she not the best human you've met so far?..._she's still a human, and I will treat her as such. _You still have much to learn_..._you can't be so selfish in life._ Oh? And I suppose bending over backwards my whole life to please others will get me far? _You'd be surprised_... I am Zim!...I need no friends.

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For a week, I continued to take notes and had filled up half of a notebook. At lunch, I poured over them and organized them into categories. Methods for annihilation, government, and all other such topics that demented woman ranted on about. They were turning out to be a gold mine. Zim must have been a very poor student on Irk if he didn't have enough attention to catch even the slightest bit of information that Ms. Bitters spat out to the class. If I had the right equipment, I'd have Earth conquered by now. I often wondered why Ms. Bitters has not taken over Earth herself already. She certainly had enough ideas for it.

I noticed that both Dib and Zim continued to keep a close eye on me as I took careful notes during class. Both were probably wondering was I was up to, because no one ever took notes, or even paid attention, in class. Oh well…let them wonder and try and stop me. But a slight pain had settled in my chest and lingered, despite my constant attempts to push it away. Loneliness. As much as I tried to ignore it, the pain still remained. And, as time went on, it slowly began to grow. But I knew I had to fight it. I didn't have any other choice.

On the following Friday, I stopped taking notes. I had enough basic ideas to begin formulating a plan. When the final bell rang, I shoved my notebook in my backpack and quickly made my way to the door. But I felt a hand grasp each of my arms. On my left was Dib. On my right was Zim.

"We need to talk," they both said in unison. I raised my eyebrow.

"Like hell you do...I need to talk to her first!!" Dib glared at Zim

"And I'm calling first dibs right now...so I get to talk to her before you, stinkbeast."

"And you can both waste your time by talking to each other, because I'm leaving." I shook my arms out of their grasps and stalked out of the room, leaving them both standing with stunned looks on their faces. Dib quickly recovered and bolted after me.

"I know what you're doing!" He shouted. "You're making a huge mistake!"

"And I suppose you're going to stop me, right?" I asked coolly over my shoulder.

"I will if I have to."

"Good luck, then." I left Dib standing on the steps and quickly made my way back to the motel in a fit of anger.

But as large cold droplets of rain began to smack me in the face, a strange feeling began to stir inside the pit of my stomach that made me want to run back to skool and help one of my stranded adversaries get home safely.


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: Hey all!! I just want to say thanks to all who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate it, even though I can't read Spanish! Lol. I don't mind though, and neither did my friend who had to translate the reviews for me. But, just a note, if you feel like reviewing in a different language, you might want to try French next time...hehe.

And now for a clarification...they all are in high skool. But, sometimes, it seems like you have the same teacher forever. I had the devil for a fourth grade teacher (I blame her for my problems in life lol), and right after I had her she switched to third grade to torment even younger children. And I have had several teachers twice in high school. Basically, despite their advancement in age and grades, they still have dear old Ms. Bitters as a teacher. Lovely...lol. Sorry for the confusion...I amaze myself with stupidity. Anywho...on with Chapter 7!!!

EDIT (12/25/2004): I added a few lines in Chapter One regarding above confusion. Hopefully it'll help!

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The scent of freshly cut grass consumed me as the sunset's vibrant colors began to fade. I stared up towards the darkening sky, not imagining the future it would have in store for me.

"Mommy?"

"Mm?"

"What are those little lights in the sky?"

"Those are stars."

"Stars?" I blinked.

"Yep." She rolled over to face me. "Stars. Just like our sun."

"The sun is a star? But it's so big..."

"That's because it's so much closer than the others."

"Will I be able to reach them?" I stretched my hand up to the largest star I could find.

"Sure..." She smiled at me and guided my arm upwards. "Just be sure to never let go."

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The first rays of the sun slowly floated in through the window and settled lazily on my eyelids. I slowly opened my eyes, not wanting to forget the details of the dream. No...not a dream...memory. One that occurred a few years before my mother left me. Left me to hell. I hated her...hated her for everything she had done to me. But, no matter what reason I could think of, I still loved her. It's a difficult emotion to accept- a mixture of both love and hate. But that's what I felt...and sometimes it's difficult to control the emotions in your heart- even if your brain refuses to accept them.

I glanced at the clock and groaned. Why did the fates want me to wake up at seven freaking thirty when I had a full Saturday of nothing to accomplish? Rolling over, I clenched my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep. In response, the sunbeam shone stronger and penetrated the darkness that surrounded me. I got the message. I sat up and groggily wiped the sleep from my eyes.

"What should I do today?"

_You mean besides talk to yourself?_

"Sure, why not? Although...talking to you all day might just be the most exciting event in my life."

_Smartass_

"Same to you. But this charming little conversation is getting me nowhere in regards to my plans...or lack thereof."

_So go for a walk or something normal for once._

"Normal? Me?" I laughed. "Right. And I suppose I'll go shopping at the mall and go pick out some bright pink clothes and red lipstick while I'm out."

For God's sake, Ki. It's a damn walk! You could certainly use the fresh air, after brooding in here all week long.

I sighed. My mind was right...for once. I was tired of being caged. An hour outside wouldn't do me much harm...would it?

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The sun threw warm beams of light upon my shoulders as I walked down a pathway through the park. I reluctantly admitted to myself that I was feeling in a better mood than I had been all week.

And you didn't want to come out here.

"Shut up," I thought to myself.

I flopped down on a park bench, not noticing that it had been the same one that I had slept on during my "stay." I stretched out and closed my eyes, letting my soul soak up as much warmth as it wanted to. But much to its dismay, a shadow of darkness interrupted my relishing. Wanting to growl at whatever interrupted me, I slowly cracked open one eye. Damn. The one person I had no wish to see: Dib.

"Hello, Ki."

A small growl rumbled in the back of my throat. Couldn't he see that I was trying to relax?

"Ki...I'm going to have to ask you to come with me." My other eye flew open.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious." His eyes narrowed.

"Go to Hell." I stood up and stretched, flipping my hair over my shoulders. When his hand grabbed my arm, I spun around and smacked him across the face with as much force as possible. "Next time...it won't be a slap, Dib. No one is allowed to lay a finger on me...ever." A slight smile pulled on the corners of his mouth.

"But Ki...how will you know if someone's touched you if you're not conscious?" My eyes widened in shock.

"You...you're a sick person, Dib...more twisted even than me!" I took a step back. But he dismissed my thoughts with a slight wave of his hand.

"I didn't mean it in that way. Who has the more twisted mind now, huh?" His smile grew into a smirk. I could feel his eyes bore into mind. Their coldness struck me through my entire being. They invaded my soul...and I hated it.

"Stop playing with my mind!!" I screamed at him. "What do you want with me?!!"

"Somewhat fast to jump to conclusions, are we? Ah, Ki...it's not you that I want...you're just the bait."

A small gasp escaped my lips as I felt the cold sting of metal pierce my flesh and the warm sensation of floating down into an endless abyss of darkness.

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_What a stupid, stupid girl. _Dib's thoughts resonated though his mind in the silent depths of his lab. _Three days I've starved her of practically everything...and yet she still refuses!! What else is there left to try? _His eyes narrowed._ I need more information. I need to know what the plans are...what she and Zim are planning to do!! But all she does is sit there with this blank look on her face._ Nails dug into flesh as tension caused his fists to clench. _It's her damn spirit. She has such a strong will...and that needs to be broken before I can pry anything out of her. Yes...I need to break her spirit._ A small smile played on his lips as he bent down and returned to work.

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Zim glanced over at the empty seat next to him. It had remained unoccupied for seemingly ever. But Ki's place wasn't the only one that remained empty. Dib's was as well. Not that he minded...he gladly welcomed the fact that Dib's whiny voice didn't have to sound in his mind every moment of the day. It was a much-needed vacation for him. But Ki's absence felt strange. Even during her short stay in skool he had gotten used to her presence. The hole in the row of people caused a sense of emptiness in him he never thought was possible. He sighed. He despised any kind of emotion other than the ones he was taught to feel- hatred, greed, and the ability to kill in cold blood. But this new emotion made him feel strange. What was it called? Loneliness? Yes...that's what they called it. The sudden piercing ring of the bell interrupted his flow of thoughts. As he walked towards the base, he found himself wondering what had happened to the human who had reached out her hand in friendship to him. The girl who he had dismissed without a second thought...at the time. _Regret...yet another stupid emotion. What has happened to all of the training I received?!! _Sighing, he continued his walk home, where he knew more of the despised loneliness awaited him.


	8. Chapter Eight

Author's Note: Oh my goodness....it's a new record. SP actually did a chapter without a month's passing from the past one!! gets up, twirls around I'm so happy!! I guess you could call it a late Christmas/New Year's/end of winter break gift.

In Chapter 7, there may have been some confusion with the italicized thoughts. There were none!! XX When I went to read over what I had so far, I realized, "CRAP!!! Where are the italics????" They were on the html, but not on the chapter!! ;; So I tried to reload it. If it's not changed by tomorrow, I'll go in and change the parts that are supposed to be in italics to thoughts or something. Because, without them, it's very confusing. Sorry about that!!! I didn't mean to do it!!! Honest!!

Chapter 8!!

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My eyes slowly fluttered open to a bent and stretched world. My entire body ached, begging to stand and move my cramped muscles. I'd lost track of time in the cold darkness. Every now and again I'd hear him approach, and I'd soon feel the now-familiar sting in my arm. I'd kick out in the darkness, but my movements would slow, despite my attempts to keep fighting. When I awoke to a world of light, my eyes protested and strained to work.

"Finally awake, I see." My heart fell upon hearing this voice. I tried to sit up, but my arms and legs didn't seem to want to move. I strained to see the reason of my paralysis, and found that they had been bound by metal straps to an uncomfortably cold table. Somehow, this seemed all too familiar. The voice, seemingly pleased by my struggle, echoed in the confined room. "It's no use struggling, Ki. I will get what I want out of you."

"You will never get anything out of me," I managed to get out; despite the protests my throat gave.

"Patience is everything. I always get what I want in the end. You will see."

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Sighing, Zim entered the base with the thoughts of a certain human female resonating in his mind. He had no wish to be there. He wanted to be with her, to figure out what these...feelings...were, exactly. But where on Earth was she? He hadn't seen her in what seemed like an eternity. _And where's Dib, for that matter? I haven't heard his annoying voice in days._ Zim paused in his movements, frozen in a sudden thought. _What if...no. No...Dib couldn't have...he wouldn't have the guts to capture another human. He's the one trying to save the stupid race. But...what if he's desperate?_ Zim unfroze himself and attempted to free his thoughts and quiet the little voice in the back of his mind.

"Master!!!" the little robot squeaked out as Zim quickly entered the room.

"Gir, has there been any sightings of the Dib human trying to enter the base?"

"I dun think so!!" was the reply he received and didn't want to hear.

"Computer, is this true?"

The house echoed with a gigantic sigh. "Yes...now don't bug me, I was playing solitaire..." Zim ignored the act of insolence. There could be only one reason why Dib wouldn't haunt the base: His time was occupied with something else of equal importance. He just hoped that this "something else" wasn't what he suspected it to be.

In record time, he was on his way to his rival's house, to confirm or disperse his fears. He'd do it secretly, of course, as to not make a fool of himself in case of the latter occurring. After lusting after the friendship of a human, there could only be so many hits his pride could handle.

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Dib had an extensive amount of patience, but I could tell that it was starting to wear thin after my unrelenting silence during our "sessions." For days he had tried to pry the information out of me, but I made it seem as though I didn't care enough to answer him.

_He doesn't even know that I'm not even in an alliance with Zim. All he cares about is getting his precious information to "save the world."_ For a slight instant, I wished to be back home. _Back home with my mother..._ I quickly shook the thoughts from my head_. No...I have to be able to fend for myself and put up with anything. I can't have someone rescue me every time I have a problem...no matter how many times I wish for them._

The little voice in my mind decided to speak up. _So you do wish for someone to save you..._

"Shut up..." I thought back to the voice.

_You know...you really need to decide what you truly want._

"I know what I want."

_Oh? And what is it that you want?_

"..."

_So we don't know what we want, do we?_

"..."

_Or are we just afraid to admit it?_

I flinched. My conscious had hit the point of pain.

_I knew it...you're just playing your role again...being the strong, tough girl that doesn't need anyone._

"I didn't need anyone..."

_So we do now, huh?_

"Well, I'm strapped to a metal table giving the silent treatment to my captor after which I am drugged to the point where I enter oblivion. I'd say it'd be pretty nice to have the door fly open and have a knight in shining armor rescue me right about now."

_...What about a conqueror in a flying saucer?_

"..."

I saw Dib's hands clench into fists in his frustration. He was definitely losing his patience.

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Zim placed a small robotic bug on the wall of Dib's house. As soon as it touched the surface, it buried its way deep into the wall. It searched out Ki's signature, testing to see whether of not she resided in the building. He had obtained her DNA from the needle he had used from when she was in the lab. He regretted having taken her there, but having a sample of her DNA was proving useful.

He growled in frustration and kept his gaze on the spot where the bug had entered the house. If Ki was there, the remote in his hands would beep. If she were not there, the bug would simply come out. The suspense was agonizing. With every passing moment, his pulse quickened, wanting an answer.

His insides quaked as the small remote in his hands began to beep.

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I noticed the small gleam of silver in his hands as he approached me. _Gods, how I hate needles._ The needle signified that our session was drawing to a close. I couldn't blame him, though. If I had captured myself, I'd knock me out too. I wouldn't want my screaming protests ringing throughout the room either. The sting was soon felt, and my eyes slowly began to droop. But my sudden sleepiness didn't stop my body from jumping at the sudden beeping that emanated from the computer. Dib quickly looked up and bolted over to the screen.

"Yes..." I heard him whisper. "I knew he would come!" He jumped up and grabbed a strange-looking gun. I strained to stay awake, though the drugs were fighting me every second.

The door to the room burst open, revealing my rescuer. _No...it can't be him...the drugs must be affecting my sight more than I thought._

Before Dib could act on his intentions, my savior reached out with his own weapon and fired a dart into Dib's neck. Almost instantly, he dropped to the ground.

"Zim..." I was able to whisper before my sight was encased in darkness and I fell back into the familiar abyss of black.

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I awoke in a deep bed of softness to a sharp prodding to my arm. My muscles screamed in protest at my attempt to roll over and see who had brought me from the realm of darkness. Grimacing at the pain, I glanced upwards to see a familiar silver face beaming down on me.

"Miss Ki's awake!!!" The face screeched at me. I flinched at the intrusion of high-pitched sound ringing in my ears.

"Hi Gir..." I weakly answered him.

"Gir!! Get off of Ki!!" Another voice yelled, causing another shiver to go down my spine. But this was a different kind of shiver...not a shiver of pain, but one of every positive emotion that contradicted the preceding one. Gir obeyed and hopped off, yelling something about taquitos. The owner of the voice slowly walked towards me, as if I were a frightened animal about to run away, and slowly sat down on the bed.

"Thank you..." I managed to get out.

He nodded at me, but didn't meet my gaze. "I'm sorry..."

My eyes widened in shock. Zim, the most antisocial being on this planet, the invader of Earth, and keeper no positive emotions whatsoever, was apologizing to me. And I owed him my sanity and life. "What on Earth for?"

His antennae were pressed flat against his head as he took a deep breath. "For saying...what I said...to you." His eye twitched in a way that only he could do.

If it were possible, I'm sure my eyes would have widened even more. _That must have taken quite a bit of his pride to say..._I sat there for a moment, still dumbfounded. He felt...bad? "Don't be sorry...I was a fool for bringing it up. Please...forget I said anything."

"No..." He said quietly. "I've been thinking...and I want to."

My heartbeat pounded into my chest as I sat up. "...Why did you change your mind...?"

"I just did."

In a quick reflex, I wrapped my arms around him and drew him into a tight childish embrace. _This is a dream...a dream brought on by those stupid drugs...nothing can be this perfect...everything I've always wanted is about to happen._ I froze in my thinking as realization dawned on me. I was hugging him. Zim. My cheeks flushed red as I realized that he was hugging me back.

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Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far!! It makes me happy to know that people have liked it so far. I'm sorry for any grammatical errors and such...I try to pick those up while editing, but the occasional one does fly by. ;;

Roxy: I thank you for the review, even though I had to bug the hell out of my bilingual friend to get it. Hehe! I'm getting to the romance eventually...but I put in a little fluff at the end to keep you happy. Keep in mind that it's miniscule fluff...like marshmallow fluff miniscule. wants a marshmallow now... Again, thank you for the review!


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: dodges the various food items thrown at her by Roxy I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!! Squeaks I know it has been awhile and I know this is an oober-short chapter, but this just popped into my head today while cleaning and I wrote it really quickly. But hey, and update's an update, right? gets a face full of pie Merf..I'll make you a deal…if you hope and pray that my orthodontist will say these magic words tomorrow: "You can make your next appointment to get your braces off." I will seriously write a 1,000-word post by this time next week. Sound good? hopeful smile gets another pie in the face Meep!!

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I hastily threw my things into my bag and glanced around the room for any forgotten items. I was amazed at myself for how slovenly I had been during the time I had stayed in the hotel. A small smile tugged at my mouth. I had pretty much invited myself to live in Zim's base, and he had just twitched his antennae and replied, "Eh…whatever."

"And now, to leave this rental shack!" I announced to the empty room. When walking out the door, I noticed I had left the television on. Not that I care for the crap that's on…but sometimes a little background noise helps me work. As a reached for the power button, I gazed at the last remaining picture on the screen.

The photograph being shown made me freeze and drop my bag, while my heart seemed to stop in mid-beat.

"…M-mom?"

Her smile answered my question. It was her. After all of those empty years, it was her. Slowly, I turned the volume up.

"Jen Thomson, wife of television producer Eric Thomson, was killed in a car accident last night while driving to meet her husband and two sons. Police have not yet released the name of the driver who hit her, however he is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries and will soon be taken into custody. Mr. Thomson has not yet released a statement regarding his wife's death, though--"

I pushed the power button off and slowly sank to the floor.

_So she did remarry and have a new family…_

"She forgot about me…she's gone…" Thoughts swirled around inside my head and the emotions that I felt fought to be expressed on my face.

_No…she didn't…_

"Yes!! She forgot about me!! She never wanted me in the first place!!" I brought my hands to my face, refusing to cry.

_No…if she forgot you, then why did she give you all of that money?_

Realization dawned on me. Of course if was her…who else could it have been? I felt like a complete idiot. She was telling me she loved me in her own secretive way. She couldn't have just sent me money…she'd have known my father would have taken it before I even knew it was there. So she just deposited it straight into my account, where my father wouldn't have thought to look for it. A wave of sadness crossed over me.

"She's gone…" I murmured.

_But she'd have been gone soon enough anyway, when you and Zim destroy all of humanity._

My heart jumped into my throat. Yes…she would be gone. We would have killed her. Guilt crept into the very core of my soul, but I quickly forced it down.

"If I am going to end the madness which is humanity, then I cannot feel guilt, no matter how cruel it seems." I knew I'd keep the memory of my mother in my heart forever, and always have her love with me, like I'd kept it ever since she'd left. In a sense, she died the day she left me, and I had cried for her then. While keeping those memories and love, I didn't have the need to mourn her now.

With a renewed strength and newfound courage, I walked out of the room.

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Dib awoke with a groan. He struggled and sat up, fighting the wave of dizziness attacking his head. She was gone. _He_ had taken her away from him. Anger spread throughout him like a vicious disease. Slowly standing up, he reached for the dart in his neck that had caused his blackout. Flinching, he quickly pulled it out and gazed at it. "Why did Zim not kill me…?"

_Because he wants you to see him destroy the Earth._

"Of course…" Dib narrowed his eyes. "That arrogant slime…"

Grabbing his computer, he ran upstairs to formulate his next move.


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: I swear, I have the rest of the story outlined, all the way to the end! All I have to do is type it up! I apologize greatly to those who follow the story and expect updates, but between work, school, and exams, things have gotten a bit stressful. However, I have two whole weeks of no school, so I'll be able to write the rest of the story. There are 12 chapters, so we're really on the home stretch of plot. Thank you so much for sticking with my procrastination and hiatus-tendencies. This is by far my longest chapter yet, which mirrors my last hiatus as of yet (April 4, 2004, eek!), and I owe it in part to the outline I created, which made it a lot easier to keep my thoughts flowing while typing. Several familiar characters will make an appearance in this chapter, so have fun!

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"A virus?" Zim twitched his antennae with every racing thought that flew through his mind.

"Yes," I handed him the notes I had compiled during my stay in the hotel. "A virus that can spread quickly could wipe out most of humanity within a few weeks. An airborne virus would work well...if we had some sort of bomb that we could set off, we could place them all over the planet."

_So...it's "the planet" now...not Earth..._It lost its name when I decided to help in its destruction.

"But what about you?" He glanced over the pages.

"What about me?"

"How do you keep yourself from being infected?"

"I...well...dammit!!" How could I have been so stupid?!

"If I can create a virus, then I can certainly create a vaccination for it." With that, Zim stuck the papers under his arm and strode out of the room.

How could you have been so stupid? More like, "How could you have been so doubtful?"

"I know..." I thought.

If you are to work with Zim, you have to trust his abilities. You are part of a team now…you must do what he cannot do, and he must do what you cannot do. Alone, neither of you can destroy the planet...but together, with trust, you can succeed.

"Yes...from now on, I will trust Zim...no matter what."

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Dib lay with his head flat against the surface of his desk. His brain had long since given up on concocting an idea on how to stop his adversaries. He had racked his brain for hours, thinking of ideas for only moments before they sank into the forgotten abyss of his mind. Perhaps the dart had some of Zim's DNA on I bug the base?...no...I've tried that countless times...

He had long lost track of exactly how long he had just sat there. But out of the nothingness of his thoughts, a single word flashed into his consciousness: Gir. That little robot that follows Zim around?...it's the only thing I haven't tried yet...but what could I do with it? Dib growled in frustration and slammed his head back on the desk. Ow. He slowly opened his eyes, which focused on a small article that he had thrown in the trash.

"Mystery flu flies through schools...students out for days..." Dib stared at the paper. I remember this...I clipped it out, wondering if Zim would be affected...

His eyes glimmered as a realization dawned on him. In mere seconds, he was down in his father's lab, formulating yet another attempt to save Earth.

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"Zim, please?" I sighed. I was so tired of being shut inside. I wanted to help so badly, but Zim wouldn't let me anywhere near his lab. He told me it was because he didn't want me around to distract him. Ha. I knew better. But even if he was trying to protect me, there was no reason to keep me locked inside the entire base! Sure, there was the threat of Dib, but I've survived him before. But now I was reduced to only talking to Zim via a monitor.

"No, Ki! Listen to my all-knowingness!" Though I could hear him clearly through the speakers on the screen, his shouting echoed faintly throughout the base.

"I just want to take Gir outside for a walk! A walk, Zim!! There's no harm in walking!!"

"No harm?? There's harm if the human stinkbeasts have discovered my ingenious plan…unlikely, but oh, the harm!!"

Zim's clenched fist quivered before him. "I'm going to overlook the 'my' instead of 'our,' but please, I beg you, I'm going insane stuck up in here with nothing to do! Remember, you told me about the Doom song? Well, I'm about fifteen minutes short of singing it! Just let me go out for ten minutes! That's all!"

I saw him pause in his work and sigh. I knew I had won. "Ten minutes, Ki."

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About five seconds later, I was outside with a squealing disguised Gir clutching onto my head.

"Are we going to the park, Ki-lady??" Gir screeched into my ear.

"No, Gir...we don't have much time...Zim wants us back at the base in a few minutes." I rubbed my ear. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea, taking Gir outside with me. But, I couldn't just leave Gir all by himself...especially since he'd be in the lab, annoying Zim within seconds. And I had to leave Zim alone to work...the only thing I could do to help out was keep Gir away from the lab.

I felt Gir loosen his death-grip on my head and drop off of my shoulders. "Gir? Are you going to run for a bit?" Silence answered me. "Gir?" I turned around, and my heart lurched at what I saw- Gir's absence.

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"That was too easy!!" Dib grinned. Under one arm, he clutched a small package, and under the other, a screeching Gir tried to wriggle free.

"Ki-lady!!! KI-LADY!!!!"

"Shut up, you stupid scrap of metal!" But the screeching did not cease. Even Gir knew that he did not belong with this strange, big-headed human. Dib ran until he reached a secluded ally where he could commence his plan. He stopped down and quickly tethered Gir to the ground.

"Here, robot...do you want some chocolate?" Gir's costume ears suddenly perked up. Dib slowly grinned as he reached into the package, drawing out a huge chocolate cupcake.

"GIMME!!" Gir screeched as his arms flew towards the unexpected gift.

"Not yet...first, I need to put in some more delicious treats in it for you..." He pulled out a mask and gloves, and quickly slipped them on. A small container was also drawn out, and, with much care from its handler, was opened. Its liquid contents slowly dripped down on the cupcake.

Dib held the treat out and dropped it. Gir opened his mouth, practically drooling with anticipation, and swallowed the treat whole.

"Now, home!" Dib untied Gir, his mouth twitching with a smirk as the small green dog flew down the sidewalk.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, GONE??" Zim's clenched fists shook angrily at his sides on the monitor.

I was bent over before the screen, my heart pounding within my chest and my lungs burning with every breath I took. "He just disappeared!" I gasped. "He was there one moment, and when I turned around, he was gone!" I had just sprinted as fast as I could back to the base, knowing that I faced Zim's anger when I arrived.

I had briefly wondered whether or not to go looking for Gir myself, but I decided quickly that I'd rather face the anger of me losing Gir rather than me getting in trouble and having to have Zim save me yet again.

He said nothing else, and the screen went black. A few seconds later, he walked past me and out the door, leaving me gasping for air on the floor of the room.

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Why are you so stupid, Ki? You just had to go outside, didn't you? You had to be selfish...Zim was keeping you inside for your own good, and you betrayed his judgement. I sighed. My legs were folded up beneath me as I lay curled up the couch. My eyes were brimming with unshed tears, which I refused to let fall. The last thing I needed was to cry.

My ears perked when the door suddenly opened. My eyes fell upon Zim's silhouette, and, in his arms, a curled up Gir was recharging.

"GIR!!" I jumped off the couch and tore Gir from Zim's hold. Gir's eyes flew open and wrapped his arms around my neck.

"KI-LADY!!!"

"Gir was fine, you stupid girl." Zim's eye twitched. "I found him running through the streets, heading towards the base. Gir knows the location of it. I was under the intention that he was abducted, not lost. You dare disturb me for this?!"

"I'm sorry..." I whispered. "I thought he had been taken...he just disappeared so quickly..."

"Stupid Ki...Gir runs off all the time. Next time, don't call me out of the lab for such a trivial matter!" As Zim stormed past me, he grabbed Gir by a leg and drug him off of me. Gir hit the floor with a crash.

"Come on, Gir...it'd be better to keep you down in the lab, where you'll stay out of trouble, which will keep Ki out of trouble."

Gir responded with a gasping cough of a strange smoke.

"I ate too much cupcake!!" Gir screeched, then coughed up more smoke. It briefly surrounded them both, then dissipated.

"GIR!! What did you just do?!!" Zim somehow managed to shout. He coughed for a few seconds, then sank to his knees.

"Zim? Are you ok??" I ran over to him.

"Do I look like I'm ok?!" He gasped.

"What's wrong?? What happened??" I was so confused. He was fine just a few seconds before that, and suddenly he was on his knees! I didn't know what to do.

"Ki...that cloud...poison..." His eyes began to close slowly.

"ZIM!! Don't die!! Please!!" I wrapped my arms around him and the tears that I refused to let fall dripped onto Zim's uniform. "Please!! Computer!!"

"What is it with all of you and disturbing my playing solitaire?" It sighed.

"What must I do to help Zim?? Tell me!!" I begged.

"Oh, I don't know..." It drawled slowly.

"TELL ME, DAMMIT!!"

"...Zim was poisoned through that cloud of gas. Someone rigged Gir with the equivalent of a poison bomb. He needs the antidote to recover."

"And how do I get the antidote?" I let go of Zim and jumped up. "How??"

"You'd have to analyze the poison and create an opposite to the poison to reverse its effects."

"I KNOW THAT!! But HOW do I do that??" I was getting angry.

"Well, if you're going to be snappy about it, then forget it." I heard the gentle hum that was the ever-present computer slowly fade.

"DAMMIT!! Help me!!!" I banged on the wall with my fists. "HELP ME!!" Another bang on the wall echoed throughout the base. "Help me..." My eyes fell on Zim, who was barely breathing on the floor next to me. My head fell against the wall, and my eyes shut. I knew I could never produce an antidote in time. Zim was going to die, and it was my entire fault...

"Hello??" My eyes flew open at the unexpected voice.

"Uh...yeah...do you think we should tell him...again...?" A second voice?

"Look, he's not even there...did he just try and prank call us?"

"Hey...remember that time we pranked the Gregarians and they vacated their planet thinking that they were safe because we told them we were calling from the future, and that the Irken empire no longer existed?" The voices burst out laughing.

"That was the funniest invasion I've ever witnessed...do you--" The voice laughed. "--Do you remember the look on their faces?? It was classic!!"

"...Hello...?" I slowly stepped in front of the screen. Before me stood two extremely tall Irkens. One was clad in red, and the other in purple.

"Hello...who is this, calling from Zim's base?" The Red one twitched his antennae.

"I'm...uh...Ki...who are you?" The Purple one's eyes widened.

"Who are we?? You mean you've never heard of the Irken Empire, headed by the fearsome Almighty Tallest??" He gasped. My heart froze. Of course Zim had told me about the Tallest. Hours and hours he had rambled on and on about them, to the point where I put on a headset if he ever began a sentence with, 'My Tallest...'

"You're the Tallest?? I'm so sorry, of course I know you! Please forgive me!!" I dropped down on my knees in a hasty bow.

The Tallest stared at me with looks of confusion. "Why are you bowing?" Purple asked.

"I'm trying to help Zim take control of Earth...if you're his leaders, then you're my leaders too." Zim...how was I going to help him?

The Tallest must have hundreds of Irken scientists on their ship...ask them to create a cure!

"But why would they?" I thought to myself.

Because they would benefit from Earth's destruction...just ask! I decided to just go for it, hoping my brain was right, for once.

"Almighty Tallest, I am in desperate need of your help!! Zim's been poisoned, and I must have the antidote to help him!!" I bowed again, but Tallest Red only threw his head back in laughter.

"Sorry...Ki, was it? I have no idea why you've allianced yourself with Zim to destroy your own planet...much less trying to help him in the first place...you see, we've been trying to do off with him anyway, and--"

"But My Tallest!! Earth has such valuable resources that would benefit the Irken empire!! It's rich with natural resources, but you must have Zim to destroy the human race before they can be harvested!! Please, help me!!" I pleaded.

"You have quite the structure column, interrupting me...stand up straight." Red demanded.

I slowly stood up straighter, losing my horrible slouch and gaining about six inches to my overall height.

"She's pretty tall..." Purple muttered to Red.

"Do you think she's as tall as us?" Red whispered back.

"No...but she does look pretty tall...taller than any of our subordinates..."

"Yes...perhaps we should just humor her...just to keep Zim alive another day to torture him the next, right?"

"Of course..."

"Alright...if you teleport us a sample of Zim's DNA, we'll have our scientists here on the Massive create an antidote to the poison. In return, you have to somehow get Zim to stop calling us every waking hour." Red rubbed his head. "Here's our coordinates..."

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My hands shook as I pressed the button. I was in a secondary lab down on the fifth sublevel, and I had finally found a teleporter. I had begun to wonder just how many labs Zim possessed, and how many hadn't ever been used. Most of the labs appeared spotless and were devoid of any sign of life, as though no one had even gazed into them. I finally found one that contained the sought-after teleporter, which Zim had briefly described to me while giving me a tour of his underground base.

There was nothing to do but wait. This is a foreign concept to you, isn't it? I sighed.

"What is a foreign concept, brain?" I thought.

The fact that you, for once, are the one helping Zim, and not the opposite. Who has always needed saving in this "partnership?"

"I'm not helping him...I had to plead and beg for help...I can't do anything."

Well, not with that attitude! What would have happened if you weren't here? Zim would have probably been poisoned anyway...and, with no one here, he would have died.

"It was Dib, wasn't it? Dib was the one responsible for this..." I was furious.

You really have to ask? Of course Dib put that trap in Gir. Who else would have done it? I growled.

"Dib is going to regret this...he will pay dearly for doing this to Zim..." My eyes widened as I thought this. Is this what Zim had thought when I was in trouble? Did he worry for me as much as I worried for him now?

I was jolted out of my thoughts by the incessant beeping of the machine in front of me.

"The antidote!" I pressed the button that signaled I was ready to accept the transfer. Almost immediately, a small container began to appear in front of me, surrounded the glow of a blue light. I blinked, and the light was gone. The container, a solid object, had appeared where nothing was a few seconds ago.

Within seconds, I had both the container and a syringe in hand, and was sprinting as fast as I could towards my friend.

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Zim's fingers gave the slightest twitch of movement as I ran my hand over his head.

"Zim...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean for this to happen..." I whispered.

I wasn't sure then, but now, I'm sure that I faintly heard the reply, "I know..."

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My eyes glittered as I stalked up the walkway. I didn't care if I was going into harm's way, or even to my death- not anymore. No one was allowed to harm my friends. Compared to the lives of my friends, my life was nothing. Life was meaningless if I had no one to share it with...

Having friends has changed your point of view...

I ignored that spurt of thought and pounded on the door.

"Membrane, open the door before I break it down!" I growled.

"Yes, yes, hold on!" The door opened to reveal a tall man clad in a long white lab coat. "I'm Professor Membrane. Now, what's all this shouting about?"

"I need to have a few words with Dib..." My jaw clenched in anger.

"Ah, yes...my poor, insane son...just one moment." He walked away, leaving me seething in the doorway.

"You're kidding? Someone actually came to visit me?" He dashed out of his room and down the stairs. "Maybe it's someone from the FBI, finally, I've been sending them dozens of letters and phone calls every day. Or maybe it's--" He paused. "--Ki...it's you..."

"Yeah. It's me." I walked forward. "I have something to say to you." My eyes narrowed.

Dib smiled. "Let me guess...you want to tell me off for hurting your little robot, killing your best friend, destroying your precious mission and saving the world?"

"Yes...but you forgot one part." My clenched fist reeled back and landed dead center on Dib's face. A faint crunch echoed throughout the room.

Dib's hand flew to his face. "You...you broke my nose!!" The blood gushed through his fingers and trickled down his face.

"That's for Zim..." I whirled around and started towards the door. When my hand touched the doorknob, I turned. "...who is, incidentally, not dead."

Dib growled through the blood. "Ki...all things are fair in love and war...and this is war."

"Go to hell." I stalked down the walkway, my anger temporarily suppressed.

"I believe I'm already there, Ki...and you'll soon be with me." The door slammed behind me, leaving my footsteps to be the only sounds echoing through the streets.


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: This is so sad!! This chapter is really the last full chapter...Chapter 12 is only an epilogue, really, though I'm calling it a chapter. Though I won't say my good-byes just yet...I'll leave that until next time. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!! I'm sorry this came a bit later than I anticipated...I wrote this a few weeks ago, but I absolutely hated it. I'm still not at all happy with this chapter, but I'm not sure what to do to change it. I know, there's a lot of OOCness in here. At least I surpassed Chapter 10 in length! Lol. I'm not sure I surpassed it in quality, though. Oh well. I guess it'll do!

Chapter 11!

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The setting sun slowly sank below the horizon, its remaining rays trying to push above the Earth as though it was trying to grasp onto the edge of the world and not fall. A few beams of its light shone into the open window of a house, whose occupant lay quietly on his bed. In his hand, he clutched a dagger. The blade reflected the light, making strange shapes dance on the ceiling.

_I have to destroy them...once and for all...but I just don't know how...they're always together...always resisting!! _Dib clenched the dagger even tighter. _They're always together..._He thought for a moment. Yes, they were always together. Whenever he tried to harm Ki, Zim was there to stop him. But if he tried to harm Zim, Ki just kicked the crap out of him. He touched his upper lip, which had the slightest trace of blood from his nose decorating it. _I know that when one is destroyed, the other will fall. When Ki is finally gone, Zim will be destroyed as well. He's gotten used to working with her...he won't be able to survive without her presence guiding him._

The blade of the dagger rose as Dib stood up. He knew this would be his final battle. If he won, the Earth would be saved. If he failed...humanity was just a failed experiment in the scheme of life. Failure was not an option. _This mission...this is my purpose in life. This is why I was made. This is what I was built for. Fate has led me to this...I cannot fail._

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"Ugh...I can't believe you have to give me a shot for this..." I groaned. "You know how I am about needles..."

Zim held up the rather large, intimidating syringe, which he primed in front of me. "Getting this shot is for your own good...it will protect you from the virus."

"Couldn't it have been made in the form of a pill...?" I put my head on the table and stuck out my arm.

"Yes...it could have...but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun as this is." I could hear the smile in his voice. I clenched my eyes shut and waiting for the impending sting. When it came, I flinched, making a tiny trickle of blood seep from the tiny wound.

"Ki-lady got stung by the metal bee!!!" Gir danced around my head.

"Quiet Gir..." I groaned. "I think I'm gonna be sick...."

"Not in here, you're not. Go back to your room and get all sickly, not in the main room. Blech, you humans are disgusting." Zim shuddered.

"It's not my fault I hate needles...I have ever since my first trip to the doctor's." I ambled my way to my room, where my nice, soft bed awaited me. When I arrived at the door, the room began to swirl. I fell onto the bed and closed my eyes, trying to fight off the feeling that I was going one hundred miles per hour on a corkscrew roller coaster. A few minutes later, Zim knocked on the door.

"Ki? I'm not going to enter to find your human entrails sprawled all over the room, am I?"

"No..." I managed to get out. "Just allowing myself to built immunity to that 'small amount' of virus you put in me..." He walked in the room, almost laughing at my current state.

"You might be feeling a bit off from that vaccination."

"Nice observation, Sherlock..." I threw a pillow over my head, as the light from the doorway suddenly ignited a new sensation of nausea within me.

"At least we know that the vaccination is working...since you're not dead and all." He sat at the foot of my bed.

"You mean you didn't know if it was going to work or not??" I pulled the pillow off and stared at him, only to find him holding back an obvious bout of laughter. "I don't know why you're teasing me when I'm in this state of induced sickness...you're so mean, Zim." I put my head down on my pillow as I made my lower lip slowly tremble in a pout. His smile faded and his eyes flashed with an unnatural gleam of sorrow.

"Ki...I--" He saw my mouth twitch upwards in a smile. "--don't know what you are talking about. I, Zim, master of all things, am mean and cold to all."

"Well, Master of all things...how about you prove your superiority and go get me a glass of water?" I giggled, which I instantly regretted. The pressure of the laughter made my entire abdomen clench, sending a wave of pain to my head.

"Gir!! Go get Ki one of those clear bottle things that she keeps in the fridge." Zim pointed out the door. Gir's eyes briefly gleamed red as he saluted, then quickly faded to blue.

"I loooove the bottle thingies!!!" Gir screeched and ran out of the room, only to appear with a bottled water about five seconds later.

"Thanks, Gir..." I took the water from him and downed it.

"I cannot understand your need for that...that...venomous liquid..." Zim shivered.

"Meh...I don't know either...nature is strange that way, I guess...I mean, you look like you could survive on Earth...you breath oxygen...you can eat some forms of food here and even have similar food where you come from...but where I need water to survive, you are harmed by it. Strange...." I sighed. "Irk...will I ever get to see it?"

"I imagine so..." Zim stared off into the distance, and a slight blush started to appear on his face.

"What's wrong?" Only a great event of embarrassment could ever make Zim blush. "What are you keeping from on, tell!"

"It's nothing...just a slight...'mishap'...that occurred on the planet..." He trailed off. I giggled, which sent another wave of pain up my body.

"What did you do?" I winced from the pain.

"Nothing..." His blush intensified.

"Ok...I won't press for details...at least for now..." I smiled. His blush slowly faded, and his face's expression faded into a stoic look. Another sigh escaped my lips.

"Zim...this has happened so fast..." I stared down into the fabric of my pillow.

"I know."

"If anyone had told me a year ago that today I'd be trying to destroy the world, I'd laugh, then hand them a few bucks to catch a train to the mental institution."

"Do you have regrets?" He asked softly, in a strange tone I'd never heard from him before. It was soft and somewhat sad...a tone I hoped to never hear from him again. It felt too unnatural to be coming from Zim.

"I have no regrets...nor will I ever have regrets." I pulled my hand out from under the blanket and touched his gloved hand. "You are my friend...and one does not make friends with someone if they know they're going to regret it later."

I saw the cloud of desolation vanish as his mouth twitched upwards in the slightest hinting of a smile. He pulled his hand away from mine and stood up. "Go to sleep, Ki...you're going to need strength. I have nearly all of the bombs assembled, and tomorrow, we'll begin dispersing them at various locations on the planet's surface. Oh...and by the way..." He paused and smiled an eerie grin of humor. "I thought it would be humorous if you unveiled yourself to the rest of humanity, lest your part in this ingenious plan go unknown. I'll leave it to you to derive the details."

"Oh, the drama..." I rolled my eyes. "Zim?"

"Meh?" He paused before leaving the room.

"...I'm going to need a black, hooded cloak."

----------

"...I don't have to say anything, do I...?" I arranged the hood so it covered my eyes in shadow.

"No, no...I, Zim, shall do all the talking...you just have to stand there, and when I get to the grand moment, all you must do is flip back the hood..." Zim burst out in tyrannical laughter.

"You certainly have a flair for the dramatic..." I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me...when you take over a planet, you must do it the right way."

"With style?"

"Lots of style."

"How does this look?" I turned to him. I was clad head to toe in black, with the cloak falling past my feet and resting on the ground.

"Excellent...the humans will never forget this stylishly evil annihilation of their species!!" He laughed again.

"Uhh...Zim...I don't think any human besides me is going to remember...we are going to annihilate them all."

"Oh...right." He paused. "Then this will be an annihilation of the human species that only one human will remember."

"Yeah...me." I gazed off into the distance, thinking about what it was going to be like, being the only human in existence. Zim looked over at me with a curious glance. I think he knew what I was thinking of. Silence engulfed us for a few minutes.

"Listen, Ki...I've been...thinking...and...well...I don't really know how to explain this...but...there's been some Irken experimentation going on...and..." He awkwardly trailed off. "Never mind...I'll tell you later." He stood up and quickly left, muttering something about loading the bombs onto the Cruiser.

"Zim!!" I called out to him, but he either didn't hear me or pretended not to.

----------

"Are you ready?" We both stood on the base's roof, surrounded by equipment. Zim's hand hovered over the switch for a test run. He had taken control of the Earth's satellite and broadcasting systems without the knowledge of any human being except for myself. All that was needed to switch every television program and radio transmission to our message was for a small button to be pressed. Zim called this phase, "The Unveiling." Out of all of the steps to world domination, I detested this one the most. It's not that I didn't want humanity to know I had a hand in its destruction...I just hate having to stand in front of people and talk. And I knew I'd be nervous as hell standing in front of seven billion people.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." I brushed back my hair and pulled the hood over my head. What was I supposed to say again? My mind froze- what was it that Zim wanted me to say? What did _I _want to say? _Ki, snap out of it, this is just a test, remember?! Nothing is going to be broadcast just yet. Just calm down and let the words flow out of your mouth as usual!_ That little voice apparently thought that to be easier said than done.

Zim's finger twitched a little. "We don't have to test. I am quite positive this will work when we do the real broadcast."

A sigh of relief that I didn't even know I had been holding in escaped my lips. "When will that be?"

"Whenever I am done distributing the bombs."

I nodded. "What would you like me to do while you're gone?"

"Meh...go inside and keep an eye on Gir." He turned around and started gathering up the equipment.

"That's all?? There's absolutely nothing for me to do?" I felt so useless. We were about to take control of Earth, and Zim wanted me to baby-sit!

"All of the work that needs to be done can only be done by my genius hands." He started inside. "As soon as I'm done moving this back inside, I'll start with the distribution process."

"Zim...I...I thought we were supposed to be a team..." I looked after him, but he had already gone inside.

----------

Zim's cruiser slowly rose, and left me standing on the roof. Zim leaned over the side of the cruiser. "Ki, get back inside the base! I won't be back for a few hours, and I don't want to return to find you gone again!"

A small bubble of anger welled up inside me as he disappeared through the low-lying clouds. Why did I have to be left alone? Why did Zim think me to be so useless all of a sudden? I sat down on the edge of the roof, staring at the setting sun. Did I do something to make Zim change his mind about me? He asked me if I had any regrets...was he having them? I sighed. This was bound to happen sooner or later...I finally had someone in my life who I cared about...someone I felt close to...and they didn't feel the same way. _Who said Zim didn't care about you? For all you know, he could be trying to protect you. _Protect me? The useless human? _Yes...he didn't want you to handle the virus so you wouldn't get infected with it...he didn't want you to deal with the equipment because you could get hurt while using or moving it...and he wants you to stay inside because he doesn't want anything to happen to you._ I sighed again. But why wouldn't Zim just tell me?_ Because, Ki, it's Zim. He would probably rather kill himself before admitting to any kind of love or kindness-related emotion directly to your face. So, will you stop being stupid and go inside like he told you to?_ I sighed and told myself I'd go inside, but after just a few more minutes of the night air.

I heard a slight rustle of the bushes beneath me. "Gir, are you messing around with the gnomes again? You know Zim will be mad if you've programmed them to sing, 'It's A Small World' again...you nearly drove us all insane..." But no words answered me- only the continued movement of the leaves. "Hey, Gir! Go back inside!! Don't make me come down there!!"

"Oh, you'll come down...whether you want to or not."

"...What...?" My eyes widened in shock. "Dib??" I started to get up off the ledge, when I heard a small gun go off from the ground below. As soon as I felt the needle enter my neck, my eyes began to sink downwards. "Zim...I'm sorry..." My body slipped from the edge of the roof as I fell away into the abyss of darkness.

----------

Gir sat huddled under a bush in the yard; his bright-red eyes sending out a steady glow that became engulfed in the dark. He had seen her. She fell so gracefully...like a feather floating slowly towards the ground, yet never touching the Earth's surface. And he saw _him_ catch her. The two crimson beams suddenly extinguished, and their possessor bolted into the base.

----------

Zim's eyes glittered as he unloaded the cruiser. "They're all there...all accounted for..." Every bomb was set, located at an equal distance away from its siblings. "We can proceed with the transmission tomorrow, if--"

"Master!!" Gir flew across the platform and ran into Zim's legs.

"Gir, I don't have time for this nonsense. I must get the equipment in the base."

"But Master!!" Gir scrambled after him, grabbing onto one of Zim's feet.

"Gir, I told you, I am much too busy too deal with your craziness right now." He shook the small robot off and continued into the base. Gir squealed in frustration and bolted into Zim's path.

"Master!! I gots to show you somethin'!!"

Zim growled. "Fine, Gir. But make it quick!! I don't have all day for this insanity." Gir's eyes responded by fading from blue to crimson. "What is this?"

"Sir, I recorded this approximately ten minutes after your departure." A small transmitter emerged from the top of Gir's head. It emitted a bright beam of light, which flattened to form a screen. The recording of the night's events suddenly appeared on the screen.

".........." No words made their way out of Zim's mouth.

"Master, what should we do?" The transmitter folded back into Gir.

"The obvious thing, Gir. We go get her back." _Dib...that human slime will regret the day he ever messed with me. Only he would be stupid enough to do the "kidnapping" technique of battle so many times. I know exactly where he is going with this..._

----------

Both my stomach and my mind spinned, forcing me to lie still and not struggle. My eyelids fought to rise, but were losing the battle against gravity. I groaned. _Only Dib would be stupid enough to do the "kidnapping" technique so many times..._

I quickly quieted when I felt the cool blade of a dagger pressed against my throat from behind me. "Human blood is not sweet, as most people think it is..." A deep voice whispered in my ear. My heart froze. I had heard these words before. "No...it has a certain metallic taste to it...like copper..." I had been saved, before...I had woken up from this nightmare before death came for me. But I could not wake up from this. "Do you know, Ki...I have been fighting to destroy that monster for years? Years...and this is the first time that he has ever come close to winning. But now that you are here...he can't win. He can't win...with you dead."

----------

Dib jumped as large explosions echoed throughout the rooms above. As the dagger jerked, the blade bit into the throat of its hostage.

"Dib...how very unlike you, to be caught off guard." Zim stood raised on his spider-legs.

"Who says I was caught off guard?" Dib pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at Zim.

"Do you think that I, Zim, am threatened by a mere human weapon?" Zim smirked.

"I do when it's fired directly between your eyes." Within milliseconds, Zim was on the other side of the room, dodging the barrage of bullets being fired. As he turned, his eyes caught an image that would haunt his dreams forever- The lifeless form of his friend.

"Gir!! Get Ki back to the base!!"

----------

My ears strained to listen as someone called out my name, but my vision and hearing had begun to fade. They seemed so near, yet so very far away in time. The clash of metal resonated throughout my brain as Zim's metallic legs made contact with Dib's gun. I heard another voice cry out—or was it the first voice?

Instead of falling towards darkness, I found myself bathed in light. A warm feeling began spreading throughout my body. I was unaware of time...time didn't matter any more. The pain melted away with every breath that entered my lungs.

"Ki..."

My head turned. "Hello?" My voice sounded empty, like I was trying to speak into a vacuum. The words were swept away into the light.

"Ki...what are you doing here?" I couldn't locate the voice.

"Where are you?" I couldn't see anything, except for the white light that enveloped me.

"What are you doing here, Ki?" The gentle voice repeated. Suddenly, I realized what the voice was, and to whom it belonged.

"Mom...?" The pain was completely gone.

"Ki..." I could see her now...she stood before me, as beautiful as I remembered her to be. In her hands, she held the sister to my treasured photo.

"Mom..." My eyes filled with tears. She wrapped her arms around me, like she did when I was younger.

"Ki...go home..." Her lips brushed across my forehead. "Go home..."

"What..why...? Don't you want me here? Don't you love me?" I searched her eyes, which stared deeply into my soul.

"Come home, Ki..."

My eyes widened. "Mom..?"

"Come home."

She pulled away from me, pushing me backwards. Everything I had experienced was in reverse. I flew back through the light, which quickly changed into dark, and the pain rushed back into me in immense waves.

"Mom..."

----------

I heard a voice drift towards me in empty space. "Come home..." The voice was soft, with barely any weight to carry it.

"Mom...?" I whispered. She was gone.

"Wake up...Ki..."

My body felt as though a thousand pounds were weighing it down. _How...am I alive?_ _The dagger...my neck...how...?_ My eyelids resisted the command to rise, but eventually gave in, giving way to a flood of light into my darkened eyes.

"KI LADY!!"

"GIR!!! No yelling around Ki!! Be quiet and go upstairs!!!"

My head exploded into waves of pain. "Yeah...that's quiet..." The words managed to escape my throat on a painful breath of air.

"Ki..." Zim's voice softened to an unnatural tone. "You're awake..."

"Apparently...the pain is too much to be a nightmare..." My eyes closed again.

"I'll increase the dose of pain-killers." He left my side to get the drugs.

"Zim..." I froze, uncertain of what to say. "What happened to..._him_...?"

"He's detained." He replied, bending over one of the many tubes that disappeared into my body. "I thought he'd like to see the main event." When I opened my eyes to look at him, I saw that his eyes were glimmering with an emotion that I couldn't recognize. His eyes fell upon my neck. "Ki...I thought you were gone..."

"Me too..."

"When I got to you...you were dead. Gir managed to get you back here while I dealt with Dib...but...I thought that you were gone..." His voice fell to a whisper. "I thought I'd lost you..."

My eyes widened. "So you were the one calling me back..."

His antennae twitched. "What...?"

"Never mind..." I shook my head. "So when will we be able to carry out the plan?"

"As soon as you're able to get up." He turned around. "The computer said you lost a lot of your blood…so a few days."

"The computer helped?" The universe was just full of wonders.

"Yes, it did. It was very useful in the assistance setting up and using of all of this medical...stuff." He gestured to all of the equipment surrounding me. "Well, I'll leave you to sleep. Gir has probably destroyed some of the upper rooms by now, so I'd better go keep an eye on him." He briefly rested a hand on mine, then disappeared.

----------

Zim and I both bowed to the screen in front of us.

"My Tallest...today is the day that Earth falls. We have planted twenty bombs around the planet, which, when ignited, will unleash a lethal virus upon the human inhabitants of the planet."

"Zim...actually succeeded in something?" Tallest Purple sank into his chair.

"How will you prevent yourself from becoming infected?" Tallest Red turned to me.

"Zim created a vaccination for me when he created the virus." I smiled.

Zim turned and gestured to a bound and struggling Dib, who was chained behind us. "This stinking human, who was our main adversary during the mission, will be the one to set off the bombs." Dib tried to scream through the cloth that covered his mouth.

"Oooo...this is going to be good. Guards, get the popcorn!" Purple yelled off screen.

I flipped the hood of the cloak over my face. "You ready?"

Zim looked at me. "I've been ready since I landed on this stupid ball of dirt." He flipped on the switch, which rerouted all Earth transmissions to the base. Gir stood in front of us, pointing the camera at Zim.

"Hello, human scum!! It is I, Zim!! Your new lord and master!! That is, until you all _die_, which will be in about, oh, ten minutes!!" Zim burst out into an evil bout of laughter. "Let me introduce your co-lord, a person who I think you'll find very remarkable." Gir focused the camera on me. "Ki!" I pulled down my hood, revealing my face upon the world. "Ki, would you care to say a few words to your endangered species?"

"Yes...yes I would." I stared deeply into the lens, my fear non-existent as the anger towards the planet Earth consumed me. "Throughout my life, I have wondered at the existence of the human race. Why a 'God' would ever create such a monstrosity. You pollute the planet, engage in wars...toy with the emotions and hearts of your own kind. All of my life, I've been different. I've been shunned because of them...hated because of them…just because I didn't go with the conformity of the rest of you. Well...now, that's all changed." I smiled. "For once, I am going to be normal. For in this society, destroying your fellow man is normal. So, goodbye, humanity. Have fun dying." Zim switched off the transmission, to leave humanity in a state of panic.

I turned to Dib. "Are you ready to accept your participation in this?" His eyes widened. I took hold of him and pulled him over to the control panel. "You see that button? Just one push, and that will destroy the poison that is humanity. You, Dib, are going to push it." Zim joined me. Together, we forced Dib's hand to the button.

A loud click echoed off of the walls of the nearby buildings. In the distance, miles away, we could hear the hiss as pressurized infected air was forced out of the bombs and into the atmosphere at uncontrollable speeds.

Zim doubled over in peals of maniacal laughter.

"Congratulations, Ki, on your success. As soon as the rest of the humans succumb to the virus, call us back with footage confirming their demise." Tallest Red smiled. I bowed, and the screen went blank.

Dib looked up at me, his eyes showing what I already knew was there- a broken spirit. The crushed soul of one who has failed in their purpose. I reached down and removed the bindings that prevented him from speaking.

"Why, Ki? _Why?_..." His eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

"I already told you why." I stared down at him.

"So what...you're different...we're all different." The tears fell down his face. "Now we're all going to die."

"Yes...I am different. But that's not why I did this...it's because of _them_, Dib. The people who can't and won't accept others just because they're not the same as they are, and destroy each other because of it. A society that exists on that principle doesn't deserve to exist at all."

Dib began to cough, the virus infecting him as it was spreading throughout the air. He looked up at me, his eyes containing a last hope that I would repent and save them all. I shook my head. His eyes fell as his coughing intensified, his fate sealed.

When Dib lay dead beneath me, I knew that we had won. "How ironic..." I whispered.

Zim's struggled to breathe from his extended bout of laughter. "What?"

I looked off into the distance. "It's nothing...it's just that...it took a virus...to stop a virus..."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter 12 – Epilogue

-

Looking back, it was all so strange. Girl meets guy, guy turns out to be an alien, alien and girl destroy girl's species...what kind of messed up story is that? Oh well...my life could never be considered "normal."

About a month after the bombs were ignited, the Armada arrived. Zim and I amused ourselves during that time by demolishing various man-made structures around the planet. With all of the factories and pollution-inducing vehicles gone, the air almost immediately cleared. During the night, the skies danced with the now-visible meteorites burning away as they entered the atmosphere. Night after night, Zim and I sat atop the base, watching the spectacle. He pointed out all of the faint glimmers of stars that were a part of the Irken Empire.

When they arrived, the Tallest were thrilled at how the addition of Earth had expanded the Irken Empire. They hadn't realized how far out Earth really was when they assigned it to Zim. As far as I knew, they planned to turn Earth into an Irken military base and training station, as it was a useful point in the galaxy to store troops to expand even further out. I really didn't care what they did with it...Earth was just a place I once lived now. Zim's base was the only place in my life that I ever called "Home."

-

"Are you ready, Ki?" A voice asked.

I jumped and looked up from my computer. Upon my arrival on The Massive, I had been equipped with new identification as well as equipment. Said equipment included a laptop computer, which I immediately became attached to. The language was foreign, but I was getting the hang out of its functions.

"What?"

"Are you ready to go see the Tallest?" Zim sighed. "You and that computer...what do you work on hour after hour that's so important?" An antenna twitched. "The Tallest haven't given you a mission without me, have they?"

I smiled. "No...it's just something that happened...something that I don't want to forget...so I'm writing it down." The computer's gentle hum ceased as I shut it off. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Are you at all nervous, meeting Irk's great leaders?" He glanced over at me.

"No. After all that's happened...nervousness just doesn't seem like a worthy use of importance or time."

When we arrived at what Zim called "The Meeting Room," two guards checked our IDs and unlocked the door. A gorgeous room greeted us. Save for the wall behind us, the semi-circular room was completely exposed to the depths of space. Thick sheets of glass were the only things that separated us from the vacuum. Thousands of tiny specks of light peered into the room, like eyes reflecting in the shadows. My eyes were so consumed with absorbing the sight before me that I failed to notice the two leaders, who were reclining in chairs before us.

"My Tallest!" Zim bowed his head. I straightened up and did the same. As they stood, I could see their eyes widen in shock.

"Zim...your height..." Tallest Purple stood back to visually measure him.

"How did this happen? You...you're...well..._taller_..." Tallest Red did the same.

"Not as tall as us, of course...but still tall."

Zim looked down at himself. "I hadn't realized anything...I guess the Earth-planet's gravity forced my skeleton to grow." He shrugged.

"Zim...you weren't always this height?" I turned to look at him. He was still way smaller than I was, but he could still pass as "normal" back on Earth.

"Ha! You should've seen him! He was so short, we always thought he was going to sink into the floor and disappear!" Purple snickered. Zim didn't seem to take offense, though. Whenever the Tallest made a joke at his expense, he either turned it around into a compliment or ignored it. I came to realize later that this was just part of his devotion to them.

"But, what he lacked in height, he made up for in enthusiasm..._lots_ of enthusiasm..." Red rubbed his head. "But...his enthusiasm did gain us a valuable planet."

Zim snapped back to reality and bowed his head. "Thank you, my Tallest. Such a compliment from you is most valued."

Purple turned his gaze towards me. "So...you're the human..." He slowly circled around me. "Such an interesting creature...and tall."

"Yes...taller than even most of our private guards." Red pondered for a moment. "You know, Purple...there is an opening for a position directly below us..."

"Oh! The one on the Assistance staff." Purple nodded, then paused. "...That's a great idea!"

Red nodded and turned to me. "You see...even though we're out here, directing the Armada, there's still duties that need to be preformed back on Irk...that's where the Assistance staff takes hold. They help run the planet while we're gone."

"So, are you interested?"

I smiled. "For now...I don't think so. But thank you very much for the offer." I bowed.

Zim's eyes widened. "Ki, that's a government position! Any Irken in that position would have immense power in the Empire. Are you sure you want to turn it down?"

"I'm sure. My skills would be best put to use elsewhere...wherever Zim is." I smiled again. "However...I have one question...why did you ask me? I'm sure there are many Irkens who are way more experienced in politics than me that would do a fantastic job."

"Well...to be honest...any creature who destroys their own species for the Irken Empire has shown great amounts of loyalty to us...plus...you're tall." Red shrugged.

"Plus, putting a non-Irken being in the government would really piss off the Gregarians!" Purple snickered.

Red thought for a moment. "Well...if you really don't want the position...I'm sure we can find another use for the both of you..."

-

Zim and I stood in the control room of the Vast, the head ship in the Armada Minor. The Tallest assigned us to the newest Irken military fleet, whose mission was to explore beyond the Irken Empire to search for additional useful planets. When a planet was found, we were to assign an Invader from the Minor that was best suited for the job.

I never imagined that I'd be standing where I was, staring out into the immense open portrait of tiny white dots. A shadow of memory overcame me.

_"What are those little lights in the sky?"_

_"Those are stars."_

_"Will I be able to reach them?"_

_"Sure...just be sure the never let go."_

"Hey." Zim prodded me out of my thoughts.

"What?"

"Do you remember...I started to tell you about something...but then I never told you what I meant to say?"

I started to giggle. "Could you be any more less-descriptive than that?"

He sighed. "I'm serious, Ki...I was telling you about the Irken experiments that were taking place."

I closed my eyes and thought for awhile. "I seem to remember a conversation of sorts."

"Well..." Zim coughed a bit. "There's been some successful experiments in Irken genetic modification...basically, Ki...if you ever wanted to become Irken...you might be able to."

_If I ever wanted to become Irken...? Would I? _A smile crossed my face._ No..._

"No...not at the moment..."

For the slightest instant, Zim looked hurt, as though I had wounded him with that simple word. I rested my hand on his shoulder, then drew him into a tight embrace.

"For right now...I want to stay as I am...different. You accepted me as I am, Zim...in this form...and I want to stay this way. There might be a day, sometime in the future, where I will...but not now."

Yes...I was different. But now, unlike the past, I was immediately accepted. Irkens didn't give my looks a second glance. Being different didn't mean that I had to be lonely.

I smiled and gazed at the stars once more. _I won't let go, Mom...I won't let go._

The End 

-

A/N: Well, there you have it. The End. I thought I'd better put my good-byes down here, so you could jump right into the story. Speaking of the story...I apologize to those of you who expected something incredible and were disappointed. Believe me, I'm in the same boat. When I first imagined Ki and the basics of this plot, I thought that this would be an incredible story with all sorts of interesting stuff flying left and right. But what ran through my insane mind a few years ago was not what came out on paper. Something completely different emerged, and I know it's due to my writing. I've never written anything creative before that required this much effort. Sure, I've written dozens of essays for various English classes, but you just can't compare a detail/commentary to something that you have to create yourself. Plus, the fact that I started this back in 2002 didn't help at all either, which is probably why, if you just started reading this, you might see my writing change as I've progressed through what I call "The Devil's English Class," AKA AP Language.

And, speaking of 2002, I know, I know... "Why the hell'd it take you so long to write this!" The answer to all things: I'm incredibly lazy. I'd think of the chapter, and what would happen, then I'd either forget what I thought of, or I'd be too lazy to write for days. Then days turned into weeks...weeks into months...and so on.

I also have to apologize for the whole "lack-of-romance" thing...I know I had this classified as a General/Romance, but every time I thought of something to do, I decided against it because it just felt wrong to write. I mean, writing Zim as being nice is hard enough! Lol. But there were some hints dropped, so I might leave it in the Romance category...I'll have to think about it.

Anywho...I do have some ideas for a possible sequel for this fic. Honestly...I have no idea when this sequel will take form, if it does. I purposely included bits of info into various parts of the last few chapters to build up for a possible continuation, should I chose to write one. They're not blatantly obvious, though, so they won't hurt the story if I chose not to write one. Normally, I'd jump on the idea of a sequel right away, as I hate to abandon Ki and Zim's adventures. But I have another fanfic in the works right now- an Inuyasha fic, that I'm dying to get started on, but haven't, as I wanted to complete this first.

I thank everyone who reviewed so far. I know Dib fans absolutely despise me right now...but I'll make it up to you. You all have no idea how much squealing took place at every Review Alert.

Thanks to:

HappyGlow

Zri Cayendai

Nondescript

Ryusama0

Evil-Chicken-Wrath

Zianete

DixieGoddess

Kokono

Shimmy123

Ravwrin

NeverAgainTruth

Invader Ari

Maran Zelde

WHOA!

Ciber

Roxy

Invader 2-D

The girl of doom

Priestess of Anubis

All Apologies

Mei

Invder Lava

Ulovemeanyway

theamazingtaco

Chaos-CAT1

Captain Maria Isabella

Kumagoro1391

Ri2

Omniscient Squirrel

InvadingAngel


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